A Whole New Post COVID World (Nov. 2021 and Dec. 2021 TRs) UPDATE x2 3/31/2025

disneywlf · Jun 10, 2023

Introduction:
Hello again everyone and welcome!

Wow, it has been quite sometime since I have posted a TR and it's good to be back!

I have had the pleasure of meeting many on Disboards, but in case you have not met me, my name is Wolf and I am a 30-year old male (29 at the time of the trip), still living with my Mother in Delray Beach, FL (formerly Westbury, NY) for over five years now!

Since my last trip report covering my trip in March 2018, I had not been to WDW until November 2021 and December 2021. In addition, a lot had changed in my life since the writing of my last TR. While I had been taking post-baccalaureate courses at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton up until June 2019, I abandoned that course of study as due to a bitter divorce between my parents hurting me and my Mother financially. I continued with my side business I started with my Mother, specializing in doing online shopping for people in order to help them by using tricks in order to get them the best products at the best price until March 2020, when I decided to go out of business due to COVID-19

. Due to abandoning my studies as well as not doing as well with my business as hoped (don't worry, it taught me a lot and thanks to running my business, it made me even better at my other jobs and I gained a lot of experience!

), I joined the workforce full time in November 2019, first working at a major department store at a mall near my home, which was great and then after leaving there, I found even better work in the hospitality industry, working for a major hotel chain in Northern Palm Beach County for the past year and a half!

I love front-facing customer service and just like retail, there are many thrills to working in the hospitality industry and I am truly blessed to be with amazing coworkers and most importantly, guests and I hope to stay and potentially grow with this job for a very long time!

When I am not at work, spending time with my family (including our now six Affenpinschers (or “Monkey-like” terriers in German) and friends, travel (including WDW of course!), swimming, classic rock, automobiles, history, and politics. Since we moved to Florida from New York back in December 2016, I have been to Walt Disney World three times for day trips with my Mother in November 2017 to Epcot as well as December 2017 and February 2018 to the Magic Kingdom, and my overnight trip to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot in March 2018. As I had mentioned earlier, I had not been to WDW in close to four years before my TR due to tight finances as a result of my Mother's divorce as well as COVID-19. Since June 2020, our financial outlook improved a little bit, as I was able to finance a car in the form of a 2020 Kia Forte to get to work and around town. However, me and my Mom had to sell our second home in the western edges of Delray, where we resided from January 2019-March 2021. It was a beautiful home in a beautiful neighborhood, but due to finances still being tight, we had to sell that home and as of March 2021, we are currently renting an older home in Delray, in a quiet neighborhood between the Florida's Turnpike to the west and Interstate 95 to the east. It works for now, but if I found a magic lamp with a genie

, one of my wishes would be a lot of money, so I would be able to buy my Mother a residence that is equal to or better than where we used to live. However, even if I had a lot of money, I would not change my life otherwise, as I love the area where I live as well as my job and many other aspects of my life!

With a little bit of time from work as well as COVID-19 numbers going down overall somewhat, I decided to take a few trips to WDW in Fall 2021 (had to split them due to work)! :yay:

Now, "second star to the right and straight on 'til morning (er the Trip Report haha)!" :tink:

-Taken in November 2021 in the Magic Kingdom:

Favorite Character: Tough call, but I am going to go with Mickey Mouse

Favorite Movie(s): "Aladdin," "Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King," "Toy Story", "Cruella"
Favorite Park: Magic Kingdom, but I love all of them
Favorite Attractions: Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Dumbo, Mickey’s Phillarmagic, Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, and Soarin’ to name a few!

disneywlf · Jun 10, 2023

disneywlf · Jun 10, 2023

How?
Like my previous trip in March 2018, I opted to go solo, as my Mother did not want to do an overnight at this time and we also have six Affenpinschers (or Monkey-like terriers in German), Gwendolyn, Arabella, Zaava, Pooky, Zarina, and Zavarra. As a result, we only do day trips to WDW and we went to Epcot in November 2017 and the Magic Kingdom twice in December 2017 and February 2018. I would have gone with a friend, but due to timing on my end, my friends were busy, so I decided to say "hakuna matata" and go solo, as it gives me the chance to take the parks at a slower and less rushed pace. Anyway, when I planned this this trip, I had to work a little bit harder, as for the overnights of my stay, I wanted to make sure I was able to obtain a discounted night from the hotel chain where I am employed. In addition, since I had not been at my job a full year during the time of this report, I could only use two days off per week, so a prolonged Disney trip would be out of the question (I since got my PTO in March 2022 and used it to go to Vegas in September 2022, another one of my favorite destinations and a place I had not been to in over 20-years). Also, due to high season at my job being from mid-December until mid-April thanks to those being tourist heavy times in beautiful Florida, I wanted to avoid traveling during those dates as well. In October 2021, I began researching hotels in my hotel chain around the Disney World area and since none of their hotels in the Disney Springs Resorts Area were available at the rate I wanted (I previously stayed at the Buena Vista Palace in January 2005, November 2007, January 2012, and January 2016 as well as the Hilton in January 2011 and January 2014), I decided to look at hotels off of Disney property but nearby. On the recommendation of a friend at work, who is also a Disney fan, I looked at the Hilton Garden Inn on Palm Parkway, as she had said she had great experiences there in the past. Lo-and-behold, I found a discounted room rate at a cost less than a ticket to the parks at the Hilton Garden Inn for the night of November 21st, 2021 in October 2021.

This would be my first of the two Disney trips, so I decided to make my first park the Magic Kingdom, as that is my favorite park at WDW and was also taken in by the decorations for the 50th Anniversary, so my next step would be to check the park reservations calendar for November 21st, 2021 and lucky for me, the Magic Kingdom had plenty of availability! With that in mind, I proceeded to make a theme park reservation on Disney's website after buying a ticket.

After selecting the date for my reservation at the Magic Kingdom, I was then taken to a disclaimer page, stating that you would not hold Disney liable should you get COVID-19, which was understandable given the times we were living in.

With the COVID-19 liability waiver checked off and my park reservation for the Magic Kingdom booked, I then looked for hotel availability and park reservations after Thanksgiving for Disney's Hollywood Studios, as I had not been there since January 2014 and wanted to see the new attractions, particularly Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story Land, which did not exist when I last went to WDW. Lucky for me, I found a discounted hotel rate at the Homewood Suites on Palm Parkway, next door to the Hilton Garden Inn for the night of Thursday, December 2nd, 2021 and a park ticket and reservation for DHS on Thursday, December 2nd. Without further ado, I went ahead and booked my park tickets for DHS and accommodations at the Homewood Suites for Thursday, December 2nd, 2021. Right after I made those reservations, I then informed my workplace that I would need my two days off during my work weeks set for November 21st-22nd, 2021 and December 2nd-3rd, 2021 and it was no issue. With all of my reservations booked and my days off set, all of my (Donald) ducks (had to add that since it was Donald Duck's birthday yesterday :donald:

) were in a row, there was nothing further I had to do except to pack and await my trip!

disneywlf · Jun 17, 2023

"Second Star to the Right and Straight 'til Disney":
Good morning everyone!

Hope you are all doing well and having a wonderful weekend. To all those who are celebrating, be it fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and of course, the parents who wear both hats like my Mother (who by and large raised me on her own), Happy Father's Day!

Believe it or not, it has been over a year since I visited the Magic Kingdom and DHS. Unfortunately, I have been super busy with work, which is why I have not had a chance to go on the DIS. After booking my trip to Disney, all I had to do was wait and lo and behold, Saturday, November 20th, 2021 arrived!

This meant only thing. It meant that I had one day until I would go to WDW for the first time in over 3-years at the time of the trip

. Since I had to work a shift at the hotel from 7:00AM-3:00AM, I awakened at 4:45AM, as I needed to get ready and make the approximately 40-minute commute from my home to work in Northern Palm Beach County. After getting ready and having breakfast, I left home at about 6:15AM, making a smooth and quick drive from my home to work via I-95 northbound. Since the drive went a bit quicker than expected, I clocked in about five minutes early and reported for my shift. From about 7:00AM to a little after 9:00AM, I completed my morning tasks, until I took my AM break for a little bit since it was not busy. At that time, I went on my phone to see if there was any availability for Chef Mickey's, as I learned they were doing a socially distanced character meal and loved eating there in the past as it as an excellent way to make the Fab Five, they have high quality food, and of course, a festive atmosphere! Unfortunately, I had not had any luck getting ADRs for the evening of Sunday, November 21st, 2021, as I wanted to end my planned evening at the MK with a nice meal. Undeterred, I decided to check availability for Chef Mickey's one last time for that evening and to my luck, I obtained a reservation for 9:25PM for 2 guests. Now, the reason I booked for two guests is that while I was traveling solo, I learned from a CM as well as a guidebook that a lot of the restaurants at WDW tend to have an easier time booking tables for even numbers of guests. With this in mind, I was advised to still make the reservation and say that I was by myself, as I would at least have a table. Since I considered myself very lucky as Chef Mickey's is a hot ticket meal, I went ahead and booked my ADR!

After this point, I continued to perform the remainder of my duties and as the day went by, my hotel got a bit busier, so I had many guests to take care of, making my day that much more exciting! Once 3:00PM rolled around, I thought I was finished but since it continued to be busy, I ended up staying an extra ten minutes to assist my coworker so he would not be overwhelmed. With all of our guests attended to, I left work at about 3:10PM, then taking I-95 southbound towards my home. As I was driving home, I touched base with my Mother, who asked me if I wanted to meet her at the Target on Hagen Ranch Rd in Boynton Beach? We needed to get some groceries and other supplies for the house as well as couple of items for my trip, so I was happy to oblige. I then continued on I-95 southbound, passing through Northern and Central Palm Beach County until I reached Boynton Beach, then leaving the highway at Exit 57: FL-804 (Boynton Beach Boulevard). Once I exited I-95, I turned right to head west on Boynton Beach Blvd (FL-804), driving past the various shopping centers and communities lining the road, until I hit the intersection of Boynton Beach Blvd and Hagen Ranch Rd, where I made a left and then entered the parking lot of Target. Once there, I was very happy to see my Mom and while there, we picked up groceries, supplies for the house, and toiletries for my trip. With our Target run done, we then drove ten minutes to our home in nearby Delray Beach. Once at home, I then prepped a delicious dinner of some kosher Italian Sausage I found at Target (I keep Kosher at home but outside the home, I am more lenient), peppers, and gluten-free pasta. After dinner, I spent time with my Mother and dogs and also packed my suitcase with clothes and toiletries for my trip as well my drawstring bag, which I would use while touring the parks with a sweatshirt in case it got cooler at night as well as my digital camera (while I mainly use my iPhone which is fabulous for taking photos, there is still nothing like a good old fashioned digital camera in some cases). Since packing took a bit of time, I got ready for bed and ended up not going to sleep until about 10:30PM, meaning I would only get about four hours of sleep, as I wanted to be up at 2:30AM so I could hit the road by 4:00AM (it's about a 2.5-3 hour drive from my residence to WDW) to get to the park around opening and possibly check in at my hotel. As I fell asleep, I thought about all of the changes that were occurring at WDW due to COVID-19 and economic factors, like supply chain issues. I knew to expect changes due to social distancing, like no character greetings like in the old days (though these returned in the Spring of 2022 Thank G-d! ) and wearing the masks in certain spots, but naturally, was concerned of negative changes like reports that the CMs were not giving service up to the Disney standard (thankfully, this was not the case in my experience as all of the CMs I met were fabulous) and the parks not being kept up as well (thankfully, the parks were in good shape and for the most part, pretty clean, if not quite up to the standard pre-COVID, which I will explain about later). However, mostly, I was excited just to be back at WDW! For the time I was asleep, I slept well and by 2:30AM, my phone's alarm went off, awakening me. Unfortunately, I was still very tired, so I played the dangerous game of lying down for a few minutes and did not awaken again until 3:45AM

. I knew this would throw my plans off a bit somewhat, as I figured that if at best if I left by 5:00AM, I would be in the Orlando area at around 8:00AM, leaving me with not much time as I would still need to park, clear security to enter the park, and get to the Magic Kingdom from the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). Since I was all packed, all I had to do was get ready and eat a small breakfast before hitting the road, it was not too difficult getting ready and right before 5:00AM, I already loaded my suitcase and drawstring bag into the trunk of my Kia. Also, I grabbed some water bottles and cans of La Croix Sparkling Water, so I would be able to bring some water into the parks to stay hydrated. Just before I left, my Mother woke up, so we hugged each other goodbye and I bid my dogs a fond farewell. Now ready to go, I got into my car, connecting my iPhone to Apple CarPlay so I could enable navigation for my trip as well as Spotify, with "The Ultimate Disney Roadtrip Playlist," which features a robust collection of songs from various Disney features to set the mood for my trip

.

As always, I found the Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce Service Plaza to be a fantastic stop, thanks to its convenience as well as how clean and kept up it is, even with the many people that use it. About five minutes after I entered the Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce Service Plaza, I then went back to my car, seeing that the time was 6:07AM. This meant that I had about 116-miles left to drive and a drive time of 1:39 to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), which meant that if I continued to make good time, I would be there by 7:46AM.

Now done at the service plaza, I merged back onto the Florida's Turnpike, passing through the rest of St. Lucie County and then continuing northbound through swaths of uncharted land and farmland in Indian River County, where I then saw the sun rise while I was driving. As the sun rose and the sky brightened, revealing gorgeous clear skies, I then found myself driving even further as I had passed even more swaths of uncharted land and farmland in Okeechobee County, Indian River County again, and the southern portion of Osceola County. Since my arrival time was now later at past the eight o'clock hour, I decided to take it a little slower than planned and stop at my hotel, where I would drop off my bags, park my car, and get an Uber or Lyft to/from the Magic Kingdom as it would be cheaper and easier than parking at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). I figured worst case scenario, I could make up for lost time by purchasing a Lightning Lane to get on certain attractions. The drive continued to go smoothly and by about 7:30AM, I was already in the Kissimmee and Orlando areas. Making excellent time on my drive, I was already leaving the Turnpike from Exit 251: FL-417 (Central Florida GreeneWay)-Tampa, Daytona Beach, Orlando International Airport. While I have traveled to the Orlando area many times, this routing was a little new for me, as I had never used this exit before, so I was a bit confused. My GPS first instructed me to stay in the right two lanes to head onto the Central Florida GreeneWay (FL-417) northbound towards Orlando International Airport and Sanford. The ramp would then fork, so I was then instructed to use the left fork to merge onto the Central Florida Greeneway (FL-417) southbound towards Tampa. I continued on the Greeneway for about the next four miles, passing through the Hunters Creek area of Orlando with its many communities and shopping centers until I reached Exit 6: International Drive to FL-536/FL-535/I-4 east to Epcot, Disney Springs. I then followed the ramp to turn right to head north on International Drive, now seeing large hotels and other buildings in the distance, meaning I was getting that much closer to the tourist bubble haha! With my drive coming close to an end, I followed International Drive northbound to Daryl Carter Parkway and turned left, driving one mile past the back of the Regency Village shopping center on the eastbound side of Daryl Carter Parkway. I had been to Regency Village before, and went to the Publix in that shopping center on my trips to WDW in January 2011, January 2012, and January 2014. However, I was seeing this area of Orlando from a new perspective since I had never driven in this area and saw points of interest I had not seen before, like the Bluegreen The Fountains Resort, which appeared to be vacation rentals as well as a recently opened if not new Target on the westbound side of Daryl Carter Parkway. Anyway I digress. After passing over Interstate 4 and seeing the towering and grand Hilton Grand Vacations Club Parc Soleil Orlando close ahead, I then reached the intersection of Daryl Carter Parkway and Palm Parkway. At this intersection, I then made a left to head southbound on Palm Parkway, with less than a half mile to go! I could not believe I was that much closer to WDW and with that excitement building up, I was finally turning left into the complex where the Hilton Garden Inn was located, which is shared by a few other hotels.
By 7:49AM, I had arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn Lake Buena Vista/Orlando.

I then parked my car and lucked out, as I got a space fairly close to the lobby.

With the time being ten to eight, I unloaded my suitcase and daybag, then headed into the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn to store my suitcase while I was touring the Magic Kingdom for the day and to check in for my reservation. As I approached the seven story building, I could see that it had somewhat of a Mediterranean style, as it had a reddish tile roof as well as warm yellow paint along most of the building. In addition, there was a small fountain as well as lush palms in front of both the Hilton Garden Inn and neighboring Homewood Suites by Hilton, adding a small touch of tranquility.

When I walked into the Hilton Garden Inn's lobby, the interior definitely contrasted from the exterior, as it was rustic, yet modern, with a circular and hoop shaped chandelier hanging in the center of the lobby.

In addition, on the left side of the entryway, I could see a fireplace as well as teal and yellow and sand colored couches, making the lobby feel even more cozy.

Taking in the scene of the lobby as well as the exterior, the property looked well maintained and very clean! I then walked up to the Front Desk, where I was greeted by Guest Services Manager Renee and her assistant, Jeff. They were both very warm and welcoming, making for an excellent first impression! They noticed on my reservation that I worked for the same chain where I work, so we talked about our industry for a bit. They asked how I liked the hospitality industry and I told them that I love it, as I enjoy taking care of guests, my coworkers, and of course, the fact that no two days are the same! They loved that answer and Renee revealed she had been in the industry for 31 years! I congratulated her and told her that I hoped that G-d willing, I would be in the industry for a long time. Renee and Jeff then told me that I would have a room on the 7th floor, which was the top floor and honored my request to the letter. However, since it was so early and the hotel was sold out the night before, it would not be ready until later in the day. This would be no issue, as they would be able to store my suitcase until I returned and the room would be ready well before I would return from the Magic Kingdom and Chef Mickey's at Disney's Contemporary Resort, so this worked well. They asked about my plans for the day and I told them I would be visiting the Magic Kingdom and then having dinner at Chef Mickey's. Renee and Jeff said my plans sounded amazing and said that if possible, to get Genie+, to save time on waiting in lines since the parks were more crowded than usual. I was with them, as while I was only planning on getting a Lightning Lane reservation for 7DMT (Seven Dwarfs Mine Train), I would be delaying my entry into the Magic Kingdom due to my late start this morning. Since I was a little hungry as I had not eaten for close to four hours, I asked about breakfast at the hotel and I learned that while the Hilton Garden Inn does not do a free breakfast, I could purchase a ticket to the Homewood Suites next door and partake in their breakfast for $4.95. I decided to purchase a ticket for breakfast and now on my way, Renee and Jeff wished me a wonderful day! On my way out of the Hilton Garden Inn, I could not help but notice this advertisement for WDW, indicating that yes, I was that close to the magic!

I then walked next door to the Homewood Suites by Hilton, which looked somewhat similar in appearance to the Hilton Garden Inn, but slightly different thanks to stonework on the lower halves of the beams holding up the port cochere, which made it slightly more rustic looking than the Hilton Garden Inn.

Once inside, I then turned left past the Homewood's Lobby to head into the Dining Room. At the Hostess stand, I was then greeted by Colleen, who was cheerful and efficient. She invited me to sit anywhere I wished, so I took her up on her offer and found myself a seat near the window, so I could take in the scenery. Unsurprisingly, the dining room was packed with guests!

I then checked out the dining room, which had an even more rustic character on the inside than the Hilton Garden Inn, with its centerpiece being a tall fireplace dividing the dining room from the lobby. In addition, three hoop shaped chandeliers, similar but not quite the same as the ones at the Hilton Garden Inn due to light fixtures that differed in shape made the dining room almost rustic chic.

I then proceeded to the Breakfast Buffet, which was well stocked, clean, and had a good selection of food. I opted for some Turkey Sausage Patties (this worked out perfectly since I do not eat pork due to keeping somewhat kosher), Breakfast Potatoes, Grits, and Orange Juice. If I may make a Disney joke and I remember this from the time I ate at the Crystal Palace Character Breakfast back in March 2018, Piglet would have still breathed a sigh of relief at my breakfast this morning, as there was not a pork product to be found. Once at the table, I then quelled the rumbly in my tummy (what can I say, I couldn't resist another Winnie the Pooh reference) with tender and juicy sausage patties, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and salty breakfast potatoes, and sweet and tangy orange juice. While still very good, the grits were a bit soupy in texture but had a slightly salty flavor that was on point.

I also played around a bit with my digital camera to get a feel of it and got a couple of selfies, as it had a selfie mode.

After my delicious breakfast, I then opened the Disney World app and got Genie+ suggestions. Since I was running late as the time was 8:59AM, I decided to purchase the Genie+ for $15.00, the price at the time of my trip and an Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) for $9.00 from 3:15PM-4:15PM for 7DMT, so I could get as much done in the Magic Kingdom as possible. While I was at it, I reviewed my daily plans, including my ILL for 7DMT and later that evening, my 9:25PM reservation for Chef Mickey's. With my Genie+ reservations made and now full again from breakfast, I then went to the lobby, where I then switched to the Lyft app and hailed a Lyft to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). Five minutes later, my Lyft arrived in the form of a 2014-2019 Toyota Corolla and I was overjoyed, as I would be heading back to the Magic Kingdom for the first time in over three years! What would my day be like? Find out soon!

disneywlf · Jul 1, 2023

So Happy to be Home! Magic Kingdom 11/21/2021 Part 1:
After a morning that got off to a bumpy start thanks to oversleeping but otherwise turned out well, I had arrived in Orlando a little before 8:00AM. Since I knew I would be late for the opening of the Magic Kingdom, I started the day a little differently by arriving at my hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn on Palm Parkway in Lake Buena Vista to drop off my bags and check-in for my reservation. I then decided to have breakfast there and purchase Genie+ and an ILL (Individual Lightning Lane) for 7DMT from 3:15PM-4:15PM. With all of those things said and done, I then got a Lyft to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), where I would then get a monorail or ferry to the Magic Kingdom, ready to start my day!

By the time my Lyft arrived, which was in the form of a 2014-2019 Toyota Corolla, I was overjoyed. My driver, who was polite, if not a bit quiet, began our drive by turning left onto Palm Parkway, where we then passed more hotels, multiple shopping centers, and residential developments until we reached the intersection of Apopka-Vineland Road about a couple of miles later. At this intersection, Apopka-Vineland Road then runs south as FL-535, where it ends at US-192 in Kissimmee. Going in the other direction, the road runs north as Orange County Road 435 into Mount Plymouth, north of Orlando and Apopka. However, we would pass the intersection, heading west and then north along Apopka-Vineland Road (Orange County Road 535), which runs along the eastern boundary of WDW property. At almost ten after 9:00AM, we then turned left onto Buena Vista Drive from Apopka-Vineland Road.

This was definitely an interesting way to enter WDW property, as I got to see some backstage areas of the property I had not seen before as we headed west down Buena Vista Drive, including some Distribution Centers as depicted below.

Further west down Buena Vista Drive, I saw more distribution centers, including one for the Arribas Brothers Warehouse.

Although I had never gone this way when entering or traveling around WDW property, it was definitely a treat as I loved seeing all of the distribution centers and behind the scenes items that contribute to the magic of keeping the WDW Resort running. From there, we then turned right onto Live Oak Lane. After that, we then turned left onto Vista Boulevard from Live Oak Lane. As we drove along Live Oak Lane, we then passed Golden Oak, where you could live right within the magic if you really wanted to! With its many types of various trees as well as multiple lakes, from what I could see, it looked peaceful and pastoral!

In addition, what I could see of the homes behind the wall, Golden Oak looked very lavish as well!

This was confirmed by the large, if not understated entrance, with a road that also led to the ultra luxurious Four Seasons Hotel.

Once we passed Golden Oak, I knew we were getting closer, as we passed the many trees that made up the lush forest of Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Although it is on WDW property, I have no doubt that you could feel quite removed from the hubbub of being on WDW property, while still close to the magic.

During the course of my ride to the TTC, my driver, whose name escapes me, made excellent time as by 9:11AM, we were at the interchange of World Drive.

My excitement built up because only a minute later, we turned left off of World Drive onto Seven Seas Drive, where we would enter the TTC.

A few minutes later, I had arrived at the TTC. Thankful for a smooth and quick ride with my Lyft from my hotel, I then made my way towards the security checkpoint. Not unlike my last visit in March 2018, security at the Magic Kingdom was separated from the turnstiles, likely to reduce crowding and in this age of COVID-19, also help with social distancing. As I made my way to the security checkpoint, I took in the mostly clear skies and warm temperature, which was in the mid-70s and would hit a a high of about 80 degrees, making for a comfortable and not too hot day of touring. In addition, seeing the two pentagon shaped flags on a nearby pole, which were purple in color and had a large 50 in gold font in their center, made for an impressive first impression and felt very royal in theming, tying in well to the Magic Kingdom.

I saw many people and the crowds were starting to build as I headed towards the security checkpoint.

Once at security, I found the CMs working to be very friendly and professional, just like in the pre-COVID-19 days and the process to be thorough and efficient. Once through, I followed the throngs of excited guests, making my way to the monorail station and ferry launch. The CMs were in excellent spirits, with bright smiles on their faces and did an excellent job at making sure the crowds of guests got through in an orderly fashion to their modes of transportation. Since a monorail was approaching, I decided to take the Express Monorail.

When I got up to the platform, I could see that Monorail Black, which was heading to Epcot, arrived first.

However, I would not have to wait long to head to the Magic Kingdom, as Monorail Red, which was operating as the Express Monorail between the TTC and MK, arrived a couple of minutes later.

After Monorail Red arrived, I boarded with other excited guests and I could not be happier, as I knew that I was that much closer to the magic. A few minutes later after a quick ride via "The Highway in the Sky," I arrived at the Magic Kingdom's monorail station. Although I did not do it, I was so excited, feeling like a little kid as inside, I felt like jumping up and down! :Pinkbounc

After disembarking Monorail Red, more warm and welcoming CMs helped me get in through the turnstiles and was on my way, feeling in a happy state of disbelief that I would be back in the Magic Kingdom for the first time in over three years. With the time being a little before 10:00AM, I found myself in front of the Main Street USA Station for the WDW Railroad and I would have jumped for joy. The flower bed in front of the Main Street USA Station was decorated with topiaries similar to other times I had been to the MK, however, there was one key difference, which was a sign decorated in shades of light blue and purple, with an oval shaded in light blue and purple that had a gold 50 in the center of the sign and with a similar background to the oval, "The World's Most Magical Celebration" written across. In the front most flower bed that separates the feed from the turnstiles to the entrance of the MK, topiaries of Mickey and Minnie, with a golden bow tie for Mickey and a golden hairbow for Minnie, as well as a cake sculpture on top with a 50 added to the celebration!

Since I was starting almost an hour past opening, I decided to take it a little slower than expected, as I knew that there would be longer lines as I missed out on being at the park right at opening. However, I was just grateful to be back, so I would do as much as I was able and just take it all in. The only Genie+ reservations I had for the time being were a Lightning Lane for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from 11:00AM-12:00PM and an Individual Lightning Lane for 7DMT from 3:15PM-4:15PM. As I entered the park, I began to feel the magical energy, thanks to the various instrumental versions of Disney tracks playing. Walking underneath the Main Street USA train station, I of course saw frames of posters for various attractions.

Once I entered the park, I was in a state of sheer happiness, as it was gorgeous to see the American flag standing tall, the gorgeous Christmas tree out front (although the Christmas decorations were as beautiful as ever, I did notice that there were less than years prior thanks in part to cuts resultant of COVID-19 as well as Chapek's poor decision making and cost cutting), and of course, the buildings lining Main Street USA that made you feel as if you were in early 1900s Marceline, MO, where Walt himself grew up.

What would the rest of the day hold? Stay tuned to find out!

disneywlf · Jul 2, 2023

So Happy to be Home! Magic Kingdom 11/21/2021 Part 2:
After a magnificent and magical start to my day at the Magic Kingdom, I took in the energy of the front of Main Street USA, where a golden bust of Lady and the Tramp, which were put out for the 50th Anniversary and added to the scenery of the MK and celebrated their animated features.

Over at the Town Square Theater, I noticed that the line to meet Mickey Mouse was only 5-minutes. Although I would be seeing Mickey and his friends later that night at Chef Mickey's, I entered Town Square Theater, as I would be foolish not to see Mickey!

Once inside, two very warm and welcoming middle aged to slightly older female CMs who greeted me as I entered, asked how I was doing? I told them that I was doing well and that I was glad to be back at WDW, especially as I had not been back in a few years until this point. I asked them how they were doing and they said that they were excellent, as they were having an amazing day working at the MK and grateful that the guests were returning more and more each day, as crowds were lower due to COVID-19. As a little way of spreading some Disney magic, they insisted I take a couple of Mickey head stickers. Not one to say no, I was happy to oblige. I then entered the line, making some small talk with the other guest waiting. As we all waited, a young female CM attending to the line, who was spunky in nature and had a name tag indicating she was from Texas (sadly, her name escapes me, but I think it was Jennifer?), made small talk with another guest that she was also from "The Lone Star State." Somehow, they got onto the topic of Buc-ee's, a well regarded chain of gas stations with humongous convenience stores based in Texas. The CM mentioned how she loved Buc-ee's and as we were all conversing, I mentioned that a Buc-ee's had opened up a little earlier in 2021 in Daytona Beach off of I-95, not too far from WDW. Somehow, everyone's interests was piqued when I mentioned this fact and I said that after the MK would close for the day, we should all drive to Daytona, which is not too far from WDW and go to Buc-ee's. Although the CM knew we were joking, she had to get in on the fun and said she would even invite Mickey himself. As our playful banter came to an end, I then had the pleasure of seeing "The Mouse" himself for the first time in years!

And what a moment it was!! Although we were unable to hug due to social distancing rules (if I am not mistaken, regular character greetings were brought back in Spring 2022), Mickey gestured excitedly and could see how excited I was! In addition, with his special 50th Anniversary suit, I also told how dapper he looked and he gestured a hearty thank you! In addition, I wished him a Happy 93rd birthday and told how much I missed him and how grateful I was to see him again. He gestured multiple air hugs and I did the same, feeling over the moon to see "The Big Cheese" again!

Unfortunately, due to there not being Photopass CMs at Character Meet & Greets, I ended up snapping a couple of selfies with Mickey Mouse!

Overjoyed and thankful to have seen my old friend, who I would see again later along with "The Fab Five," I then headed back onto Main Street USA. I also got one more pic of the Christmas tree.

I then began walking right down the Middle of Main Street USA (sorry, could not help but think of the "Disney Sing-A-Longs" video from my youth),

However, I was stopped in my tracks, as I caught a performance of The Dapper Dans. As always, their sweet serenades, including a fab rendition of "The Mickey Mouse Club Theme Song," truly making me feel as if I was in a more easy going and even happier time!

As I got closer to the castle, it looked absolutely stunning as usual and although I love it in its normal state, I thought the pink turrets as well as the circular blue, light purple, and golden crest with a gold 50 in the center added some extra elegance for this special occasion. Although the skies were beginning to get a little overcast, it could not have been a better day weatherwise.

A closer look...

And with the "Partners" statue of Walt and Mickey in front...

While I was at the castle, I knew I wanted to get photos in front of it. However, before that, another guest asked me if I could take his family's photo, since they were not able to find a Photopass photographer. I was glad to do so and got a few shots. I then gave them back their phone and he loved my pics. I asked him if he could return the favor and gladly obliged, getting some excellent shots...

Thankful for this guest's help, we then parted ways and although this was my 11th trip to WDW, I still stared at the grandeur of Cinderella's Castle, which amazed me just like my very first visit in January 2005, when I was 12 years old. Although it was nice just to stop and smell the roses, I still wanted to at least see some attractions. As I consulted the Genie+ app on my phone, I saw that Space Mountain had a 50-minute wait, which wasn't terrible. Making my way from the hub towards Tomorrowland, I first got a shot of a bust of Mickey and Minnie

Followed by one last photo of Cinderella's Castle from its side.

Excited, I made my way towards Tomorrowland, ready to hurtle towards the galaxy!

disneywlf · Jul 6, 2023

So Happy to be Home! Magic Kingdom 11/21/2021 Part 3:
After not ceasing to be amazed by the always gorgeous Cinderella's Castle, it was time for me to hurtle off to the galaxy on Space Mountain. On my way there, I passed by The Mad Tea Party. While the Mad Tea Party may be a simple attraction, I still could not help but admire the looks of it, with its colors in whimsical patterns on the canopy over the ride, lanterns in multiple colors within the trees adding additional pops of color, and of course, the trees surrounding the attraction adding a small touch of serenity.

However, although the Magic Kingdom was looking clean and well maintained, I did notice what appeared to be some wear and/or dirt on the brick wall to the left of the attraction in the photo above. Nonetheless, it was still beautiful to see The Mad Tea Party again. Upon closer inspection, I also noticed a 50th Anniversary bust of the Cheshire Cat.

And of course, it wouldn't be The Mad Tea Party without a bust of The Mad Hatter!

By 10:13AM (thank you camera timestamp), I had arrived at the standby line for Space Mountain. The wait time posted was 50-minutes, which was not too terrible.

The line moved a bit quicker than expected and about 20-minutes later, I was about halfway through the queue. As I made my way through, I did notice wear and tear in spots, like on the stairs, which was a shame because as other people pointed out, former CEO Bob Chapek did cut back on employees due to the pandemic as well as his poor decision making, so there were not enough maintenance workers. However, I will say that for the most part, the Magic Kingdom looked very nice and all of the CMs in Maitenenance and Custodial Departments I saw did a phenomenal job, even with being short-staffed. Nevertheless, I was happy to be almost onboard Space Mountain.

And just look at all of the places I would see within the galaxy!

About 40-minutes later, a little less than the posted wait time, I had a magical time blasting off into the galaxy!

Sure, Space Mountain may be bumpy and jostling, but Space Mountain's storyline and the twist and turns of this attraction never get old. Since it was close to 11:00AM and I had an LL for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from 11:00AM-12:00PM, I thought about making my way there, but not without taking in a little bit of Tomorrowland. Once off of Space Mountain, I could see Astro Orbiter and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover. As I was taking in the scenery, to my eyes, Tomorrowland looked even spiffier than on my previous visit in 2018, likely due to some fresh coats of paint from when WDW was sadly closed from March 2020-July 2020.

I passed the Galactic Gateway Stage next, where they used to hold dance parties and/or character meet and greets. Sadly, it was not in use when I was at the MK on this trip.

Astro Orbiter definitely looked as good as I remembered.

I even thought about riding Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, which had a 35-minute standby wait.

However, since the time was 11:27AM, which would put me past the end of my LL slot for BTMRR, I decided against it and instead, made my way towards Frontierland. I knew I would come back later, as I love Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, but I did not want to miss out on BTMRR. Wasting no time, I was almost out of Tomorrowland by 11:40AM.

Although Tomorrowland looked more modern and spiffier in general, I thought that the new sign for Tomorrowland, although it fit in with the theming, definitely looked more pedestrian.

As I made my way through The Hub while going across the Magic Kingdom, this bust of Dumbo and Timothy Mouse caught my eye.

After crossing through The Hub past Cinderella's Castle, I was just about to cross the entrance of Liberty Square and have the chance to take in its colonial splendor.

These barrels and the crate labeled "Tea" below made me think of The Boston Tea Party, fitting in well with Liberty Square's theming due to it taking place during Colonial times. Great job Disney Imagineers on that tribute!

Although I have never been to Philadelphia, PA, this bust of The Liberty Bell had me in awe with how realistic and detailed it was. If it weren't for the fact that it were in Central Florida instead of Philadelphia, I would have thought it was the real thing!

I then passed by The Hall of Presidents, which I did not see on this visit.

After passing The Hall of Presidents but nearing Columbia Harbor House, I saw what appeared to be a flock of herons.

While there, I joked with a young female CM, who was manning the area. I told her that if Mickey and Pluto agreed to pay my Affenpinschers (monkey-like dog in German) in dog biscuits, they would be happy to help chase away the herons and any birds in the park. The CM, who was jovial, could not help but laugh and this added to an already amazing day. Not far from Frontierland, I would soon be at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Would I get to ride "the wildest ride in the wilderness" or would I be trapped by one of the gallows of Liberty Square. Find out soon!

disneywlf · Jan 28, 2024

So Happy to be Home! Magic Kingdom 11/21/2021 Part 4:
Whew! I am so sorry for the long time between updates I guess life just got very busy! Nevertheless, my goal is to finish this TR sometime soon, even though over two years have passed since this trip, as I still love remembering it since it was an amazing time! I hope everyone is having a great New Year and had a wonderful Holiday Season!

Anyway, after a magical start to my morning taking in the old fashioned feel of Main Street USA, the grandeur of Cinderella Castle, and of course, hurtling off to the galaxy on Space Mountain, I was now beginning to take in the colonial splendor of Liberty Square on my way to my Genie+ Reservation at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Unfortunately, I was trapped by the gallows of Liberty Square. Bummer!

Thankfully, I was not trapped for long and I was on my way, even catching sight of the Liberty Belle sailing the waters of Liberty Square and Frontierland making for a splendid sight!

When I entered Frontierland, I truly felt transported to the wild west! The attention to detail of all of the buildings as well as the other theming like the music playing in the background would have made me feel like I was in the Wild West, as opposed to Central Florida.

Although I didn't ride it, I also passed Splash Mountain, which looked as fun as ever! Even on an overcast day like this, guests could not resist getting wet but more importantly, the charm of this attraction!

Finally, I had arrived at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, thankful to have my Genie+ reservation, as it would have been a 45-minute wait in the standby line, which was not horrible but still, it would be nice not to have to wait long.

Although I was able to breeze through BTMRR's queue, it never gets old admiring the queue's theming, like this chuck wagon for example.

Once onboard, I had a grand old time riding "the wildest ride in wilderness!" After riding BTMRR, I also got a couple of cool pictures in front of it.

I even had a Kodak...er Nikon moment in front of BTMRR! :teeth:

Feeling a rumbly in my tummy as Winnie the Pooh would say, I decided to make my way over to Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn Cafe.

I had been to Pecos Bill on a few different Disney trips, most notably January 2016 and March 2018 and have always enjoyed it, thanks to their friendly and accommodating service, delicious food served in relatively large portions, and its convenience. Although the famous toppings bar was a COVID causality, Pecos Bill, the menu included, was otherwise the same as I remembered. told him that I wanted the Chicken Fajita, but my main concern was about the tortilla, as I knew from past experience that they use flour tortillas, which would not work for me since I am allergic to all grains except for corn and rice. With that in mind, Enrique immediately turned to the ingredients page for the tortillas. To no surprise, the tortillas were still flour-based. Enrique understood my situation and got Abigail, one of his Supervisors. She was very kind and understanding, going out of her way to make sure I was satisfied. As she consulted the ingredient book with Enrique. The only other issue with the ingredients were egg in an ingredient to flavor the cilantro-rice, so the fajitas sans tortillas were fine! In addition to substituting the cilantro rice for plain rice, Enrique and Abigail also offered me two bags of tortilla chips which were corn-based on the side (even though they normally cost extra on the menu) and advised that while my meal would take a couple of extra minutes to cook, in order to prevent cross contamination. With my order ready, Enrique put it through his POS system and told me I should receive my order fifteen minutes from when I placed it. Thankful for Abigail and Enrique's fantastic service, I then grabbed a seat in the dining room, which was busy, although not oppressively so. Just like I remembered, Pecos Bill evoked the feel of a hacienda, thanks to the dark yet warm colors as well as the brownish I think terra cotta floor tiles.

As promised, I received my order about 15-minutes after I placed it. Although the preparation of the Chicken Fajitas was slightly different, thanks in part mainly to the chicken, which was shredded as opposed to served in chunks on previous visits, it still made for an excellent lunch. In addition, despite the lack of the toppings bar, Enrique invited to come back to the counter if I wanted more of any toppings. Just like other times I ate at Pecos Bill, the meal was large in portion size and had moist and tender chicken, fluffy and slightly salty rice, the black beans were well cooked, the peppers were savory, the onions had a caramelized note, and the tortilla chips offered on the side were crispy and pleasantly salty. Although I still lament the loss of the toppings bar, I still enjoyed what I had nonetheless. The guacamole was smooth, creamy, and had a very slight garlic note, the tomatoes were sweet and savory, and the lettuce was fresh and crisp!

Now sated from my delicious lunch, I then used the restroom and was on my way to continuing my magical day!

Since I did not want to upset my stomach by riding anything too intense, I decided to stick to more placid attractions. Since I was near Adventureland, one famous attraction stood out. That attraction would be Pirates of the Caribbean, which has always been a favorite of mine! After passing Splash Mountain once again, I was now crossing from Frontierland into Adventureland.

Jack Sparrow was being his swashbuckling self and doing a distanced meet and greet pirate:

Finally, I had arrived at Pirates of the Caribbean, which had a 35-minute wait.

The line moved quickly and while I waited, I loved marveling at all of the small details, like pieces of a pirate ship and this cannon.

About twenty minutes after I lined up for Pirates of the Caribbean, I found myself aboard a pirate ship, ready to swashbuckle on the Seven Seas!

As always, Pirates of the Caribbean never ceases to amaze thanks to its storyline, sophisticated audio animatronics, and of course, hearing "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" never gets old. Although it was about 2:30PM and I had already seen a lot, there was still more to see. Where would I head to next? Find out soon!

disneywlf · May 27, 2024

So Happy to be Home! Magic Kingdom 11/21/2021 Part 5:
Hello again everyone sorry for the long time in updating this TR! What can I say? Life just got in the way but not to worry, I will do my best to finish this TR. When I last left off, I had swash buckled on the Seven Seas on Pirates of the Caribbean and the time was around 2:30PM. Although I had gotten a lot done in not much time, there was still plenty more to see! Earlier in the morning before I headed to the Magic Kingdom and after I dropped off my luggage at the Hilton Garden Inn where I would stay for the night, I had purchased an Individual Lightning Lane for 7DMT from 3:15PM-4:15PM for $9.00, mainly due to the fact that I had a late start much earlier in the morning. With my ILL for 7DMT in mind, I decided to make Fantasyland the next land I would visit. However, since I still had at least 45-minutes until my Individual Lightning Lane, I decided to see another attraction in Adventureland. Lucky for me, the Enchanted Tiki Birds of the Enchanted Tiki Room were crooning my name and with a mere six minute wait until the next show, it made for an easy decision on what to do next!

I knew I had entered the tropics when I saw the queue, which included the exterior, with its thatched pagoda-like roof as well as the small and relaxing waterfall, graced by tiki figures.

A few minutes later,, I was being serenaded by José, Pierre, Fritz, and the rest of the tiki birds to classic songs like "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room." Although this attraction may be smaller in scale than some others, nothing compares to seeing one of Walt's original attractions and one of his best at that in my book! Since my LL for Dumbo from 2:10PM-3:10PM was nearing, I decided to make my way towards Fantasyland, but not without taking in some of the smaller, possibly unnoticed details around Adventureland. One of the things I appreciated about my day starting a little slower was that I was able to take in more details than I normally would. A treat I saw as I was walking near The Magic Carpets of Aladdin would be this a hissing and coiled snake in a barrel, evoking Middle Eastern and Asian Indian culture, which fits in with the theming of Adventureland like a glove. A neat trick of this snake was that it would periodically spray a small stream of water. Pretty neat!

And of course, I caught a glimpse of the colorful and whimsical Magic Carpets of Aladdin. I would taken a ride on a Magic Carpet to Agrabah, but if I remember correctly, the wait was higher than average.

I continued making my way to the center of the Magic Kingdom to go to Fantasyland.

Once I left Adventureland, I found myself on the left side of the Magic Kingdom's center hub, not far from Crystal Palace. In fitting fashion with the location, a golden bust of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet caught my eye!

And of course looking over towards Crystal Palace.

I continued making my way around the Magic Kingdom's central hub, spotting more 50th Anniversary golden busts of Pluto and Goofy.

Finally, I was at the northern center of the Magic Kingdom's central hub, now going through the center of Cinderella's Castle, which takes you to Fantasyland. Of course, as I passed through the center of Cinderella's Castle, mosaics that retold the story of "Cinderella" added another layer of whimsy, elegance, and timeless charm to the castle.

In no time flat, I was in Fantasyland, which is truly an enchanting and whimsical place!

Intent on making my way to Dumbo, I could see that Fantasyland was definitely very crowded as I passed the walkway leading to Peter Pan's Flight and It's A Small World.

However, once I reached the wall with turrets matching Cinderella's Castle which separate Old Fantasyland from New Fantasyland, the crowds thinned out, if only by a little bit.

Once in New Fantasyland, I passed 7DMT, which I would be riding only a little later thanks to an Individual Lightning Lane reservation and after that, I found myself in Belle's Village. As always, the attention to detail here never ceases to amaze, making you truly feel like you are in the "Beauty and the Beast" universe!

I first passed Enchanted Tales with Belle, which was not operating at the time I went.

Followed by the Beast's Castle, home to the Be Our Guest restaurant and nestled among the snow capped peaks!

And then, I found myself in Belle's provincial village, where a fountain of Gaston and LeFou, who may be dastardly, but yet dashing as well, stood in its glory!

Once I passed through Belle's Village, I passed Under the Sea-Journey of The Little Mermaid, which has beautiful rock work and another grand castle to boot!

All in all, being in Fantasyland again was incredible and New Fantasyland, with its impeccable theming and attention to detail, was definitely no exception! Soon enough, I would be feeling like a kid again, flying on the lovable flying pachyderm they call Dumbo! :dumbo:

disneywlf · Nov 20, 2024

So Happy to be Home! Magic Kingdom 11/21/2021 Part 6:
Wowza! Has it been six months since I last updated this TR? It is crazy how busy life has been, but nonetheless, life has been good for the most part. When I last off on this TR, I had visited Belle's Village and was entering Storybook Circus, where I would ride one of my favorite attractions, Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

As I was scanning my MagicBand to take advantage of my FP+ for Dumbo, Kevin, the CM who was one of the hosts of the attraction, greeted me warmly! Right off of the bat, I could see that based on his nametag, he was from Islip, NY on Long Island, not too far where I used to be from! I told him that I was from Westbury, also on Long Island and he mentioned that he knew of the area and was happy to meet a fellow Long Islander! We reminisced about the good times we had growing up on Long Island, but agreed that it was not the same as it used to be and enjoyed living in Florida even more. Since I did not want to keep Kevin from his duties and I had a FP+, we parted ways and I took to the skies with Dumbo, the lovable flying pachyderm :dumbo:

In addition to the bright colors and many details that make Dumbo a visually stunning attraction, for me, it is the simple pleasure of being able to soar to the sky on this classic attraction that definitely makes me feel like a child again, thus making Dumbo one of my favorite attractions. After Dumbo, I continued to enjoy the scenery of Storybook Circus, even admiring the Casey Jr. train water play area, which is very well designed.

Since I still had some time until my Lightning Lane at 7DMT and I was not in too much of a rush, I took advantage of the time I had by lining up to ride The Barnstormer, as it is fun ride and it had a mere five minute standby wait.

Although this roller coaster is tame compared to say, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, or even 7DMT, it is still a lot of fun nonetheless and makes for a very good beginner coaster. After riding The Barnstormer, I still had some time to kill, so I headed Under the Sea-Journey of The Little Mermaid. Once again, the detailed rock work and grandeur of Ariel's castle did not cease to impress me, being an attraction in itself in my book!

Overall, I enjoyed this ride very much as I loved being a part of the story of "The Little Mermaid" and the animatronics, particularly Ariel and Ursula, were exquisite! If there was any criticism, like others, I agree that it would be the fact that the parts toward the end of the story were condensed into a smaller portion of the attraction. Despite that though, I would highly recommend Under the Sea-Journey of The Little Mermaid

. After that, I wasted no time and headed over to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

As I was heading in, just seeing all of the riders onboard the mine train whet my appetite for this attraction.

I was especially thankful to have purchased a Lightning Lane earlier in the day, as the wait was 95-minutes!

Although I got on 7DMT in about five minutes or so, there is still no denying that the Imagineers did an excellent job designing the queue, thanks of the work they put in including the rockwork as well as the other interactive elements, such as the interactive jewel sorting game.

I then had the pleasure of riding 7DMT and it is one of my favorite attractions thanks to the smoothness of the coaster, the pleasant side-by-side motions, the animatronic dwarfs singing "Heigh-Ho," and of course, The Seven Dwarfs dancing with Snow White as The Evil Queen eerily watches at their door! :eek:

Yes, I did feel this attraction was a hair short if at that, but the fun of this attraction and the detail put into it made this a fantastic attraction!

With the day still being somewhat young, although getting shorter, there was still plenty of time to make more magic. Where would I go next? Find out soon!

disneywlf · Jan 28, 2025

So Happy to be Home! Magic Kingdom 11/21/2021 Part 7:
Good evening everyone and as seems to be the norm these days, life has gotten in my way of updating this TR. Nonetheless, I hope you are all doing well and having a Happy New Year so far!

Even with life getting in the way, I will do my best to recapture my memories of my visits to the Magic Kingdom in November 2021 and DHS in December 2021. When I last left off from this TR, I was having an enchanted time in New Fantasyland, where I rode Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Goofy's Barnstormer, Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid, and 7DMT

. As the day went on, there was still more of Fantasyland to enjoy. I wanted to ride Peter Pan's Flight, but since wait times were very high and no Lightning Lanes were available, I decided to ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh instead pooh:

. If I remember the correctly, the wait was not too long and of course, the Winnie the Pooh illustrations definitely add to the attraction's queue.

Within a few minutes, I would be onboard a Hunny Pot through the Hundred Acre Wood.

I definitely love this ride, as it may be simple in set up, but is enhanced with many special effects, such as animatronic Winnie the Pooh characters in different sequences of the story, the undulations of the hunny pot after the rain is over, and of course, all of the music bring the story together!

Once I got off the ride, although it does not quite look like it in this picture, it was about to rain, so an indoor attraction would definitely be in order.

And what better attraction to enjoy indoors than Mickey's PhilharMagic, especially as waits at many of the surrounding attractions were close to an hour! This would work to my advantage, as being a theater attraction, it accommodates a fair amount of people, resulting in a short wait. In addition, I would also be sheltered from the elements.

I waited less than five minutes and once in the theater, we received a warm welcome from Minnie and Goofy. I also lucked out, as I got a center seat, which lent for a perfect view! While Donald Duck does try on Mickey's sorcerer hat even though he is told not to, I still kind of feel bad for him that it seems throughout the film, he almost the but of everyone's jokes

. However, I love how well all of the classic Disney films, like "Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King," "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," "Peter Pan," and as of November 2021, "Coco" mesh together. If that's not enough, the sensory experiences, like when the wine bottles are uncorked while Lumiere is singing "Be Our Guest" make this a fabulous attraction. By the time I had exited Mickey's PhilharMagic, the rain had already stopped, although it was still overcast. As I thought about what to do next, I saw that It's A Small World had a ten minute standby wait, making for an easy decision of what I would ride next.

Although the posted wait time was 10-minutes, about five minutes in, I was close to boarding one of the boats for the ride.

I was sailing through It's A Small World. The ride was relaxing and of course, how could you not love The Sherman Brothers infamous "It's a Small World" song, with its positive and upbeat message, which is sung by animatronic children representing many different nations in our small world (pun intended)

.

After enjoying a ride on this classic, I felt a small break was in order, especially with all of the touring I had done in not a lot of time. My only plan for the evening was an ADR at Chef Mickey's, which would not be until 9:30PM. I was not too hungry, but wanted to cool of a bit, so I figured that a Pineapple Float from Aloha Isle, which is one of my favorite Disney snacks, would definitely hit the spot! So with that in mind, I left Fantasyland to head towards the center of the Magic Kingdom, however, I was stopped in my tracks and somehow, ended up back towards the front of the park thanks to a cavalcade, which featured parade floats with various Disney characters set to upbeat music, which was definitely a fun addition to my day! Of course, it wouldn't be a cavalcade without The Big Cheese himself, as well as Chip and Dale.

Unfortunately, I had missed most of the cavalcade, because if memory serves me correctly, Mickey's float was the final float. However, another neat surprise was an ensemble of characters waving from the Main Street, including Max Goof, Stitch, Clarabelle Cow, Jose Carioca, and Panchito Pistoles. It is too bad The Number One Duck himself was not there, because if that were the case, you would have had all three caballeros.

From what I could see, guests were taking selfies in front of the train station, so I also joined in on the fun!

In addition, I took in the scenery of Main Street USA, which was decorated for Christmas. Although the decorations were beautiful, it was more sparse than in previous years, likely due to staffing shortages and budget cuts.

While I was making my way towards Adventureland, I took advantage of Mobile Ordering on the My Disney Experience app, since I figured lines would be long at Aloha Isle thanks to its popularity. In addition, the time was 5:30PM, so soon enough, it would be nighttime.

However, as I was heading up Main Street USA back towards the center of the Magic Kingdom, I also had the pleasure of seeing the Varsity Sport Spectacular, who put on a holiday themed cheerleading performance.

I took in the performance as I made my way towards Cinderella's Castle and by the time I got there, it was fairly crowded!

Nevertheless, soon enough, I was making my way into Adventureland.

I did not waste any time and thanks to using Mobile Ordering, my Pineapple Float was ready!

As always, it was sublime, thanks to its base of sweet, sour, and refreshing pineapple juice along with a generous helping of cool, creamy, sweet, and slightly tangy Pineapple/Vanilla Swirl Dole Whip. Feeling refreshed, I then was ready to take on more of the Magic Kingdom at night as the sun had set. Where would I end up next? Find out soon!

disneywlf · Feb 1, 2025

So Happy to be Home! Magic Kingdom 11/21/2021 Part 8:
After seeing more attractions in Fantasyland, catching a character cavalcade, and finally, refreshing myself with a delicious Pineapple Float from Aloha Isle, I still had plenty of time to keep having a magical time at the Magic Kingdom, as my ADR at Chef Mickey's was not until 9:30PM. The time was about 5:45PM and until I would leave the Magic Kingdom, the only activity that I had in mind was to catch Enchantment, the Magic Kingdom's fireworks show that ran from October 1st, 2021-April 2nd, 2023 on a regular basis (it still runs for After Hours Parties at the Magic Kingdom since 2024) (https://touringplans.com/magic-kingdom/attractions/disney-enchantment), until Happily Ever After returned once again after April 2nd, 2023. By the time I was enjoying my Pineapple Float, the sun had set, so I would have the pleasure of taking in the Magic Kingdom at night. Since I had a LL for The Haunted Mansion, it was only natural that I would make my way to Liberty Square next. A few minutes later, I found myself alongside the Rivers of America, having my breath taken away by seeing the Liberty Belle about to set sail.

I also passed The Hall of Presidents.

And a few minutes later, I found myself about to become the 1000th "Happy Haunt" at The Haunted Mansion. Thanks to my LL, I avoided a 60-minute wait.

Of course, I had to take in grandeur and eeriness of the queue, which got me even more excited into being scared silly!

A few minutes later, I was entering the stretch room, which made me even more excited to possibly be the one-thousandth happy haunt!

About five minutes later, I boarded my doom buggy and enjoyed being spooked silly by the axe-wielding bride as well as all of the ghosts dancing and having a grand old time in the ballroom. What's more, "Grim, Grinning Ghosts" is such a catchy song!

After returning from the dead, since I guess I did not make the cut to be one-thousandth happy haunt, I took a photo of the tomb of Bluebeard and his seven loving wives as well as one of me in front of the Haunted Mansion :hmghost:

After riding The Haunted Mansion, I decided to make my way back to Fantasyland to see if the wait for Peter Pan's Flight had decreased. However, on my way there, I was enchanted by the lanterns in front of the Tangled restrooms, which evoked the lanterns sequence from "Tangled."

Further into Fantasyland, I passed It's A Small World. Compared to when I rode it, the wait had increased to 35-minutes.

Despite the posted wait saying that Peter Pan's Flight would be a manageable 35-minutes, the CMs informed me that due to technical issues, Peter Pan's Flight would be down for the night :sad2:

. Oh well, nothing you can do I suppose.

Since I had pretty much done all of the attractions I wanted and in not too much time to boot, I decided to take in the enchanting scenery of Fantasyland at night.

Next, I headed into New Fantasyland for a bit. As I made my way there, I got this shot looking back towards Prince Charming's Carousel and Cinderella Castle.

Once I was in New Fantasyland, the lighting of The Beast's Castle in Belle's Village definitely had me awestruck

And of course, I had to take a picture in front of the castle.

Since it was getting closer to 7:00PM and Enchantment was at 8:00PM, I decided to make my way back towards Cinderella Castle. How would Enchantment stack up compared to Happily Ever After and Wishes? Find out soon!

disneywlf · Feb 3, 2025

So Happy to be Home! Magic Kingdom 11/21/2021 Part 9:
After a fun-filled day seeing many attractions at the Magic Kingdom, my day was nearly coming to an end. Since my day was nearly coming to an end and I enjoyed the attractions that I wanted to see and more, I decided to head towards Cinderella Castle to enjoy Enchantment. This would be the first and only time I had seen Enchantment, as I did not have a chance return to the WDW theme parks between 2022-2024 (I did go to Disney Springs for the day with my Mother in January 2022, January 2023, and November 2023). By the time I had arrived at the Central Hub in front of Cinderella Castle, it was nearly 7:00PM. I timed my arrival for my viewing spot of the fireworks perfectly, as I had a near-center spot enabling me to have an excellent view! While there, I had the pleasure of viewing the castle in a holiday motif, with the spires being lit in patterns evocative of gift wrapping and candy canes.

Looking down Main Street USA towards the front of the park.

And a picture of myself in front of the castle

To my right and using the zoom function on my camera, I was able to see the Tomorrowland sign lit up.

As the time got closer and closer to 8:00PM, the colors projected onto Cinderella Castle changed multiple times, first, into a blue background on the turrets with open yellow threads accented by red and green lights on each end, in keeping with the holiday theme.

Then, the castle changed into a blue background all over, accented by blue and gold ribbons on the turrets. In addition, the center crest with a gold 50 in the center for WDW's 50th Anniversary had a mainly blue and gold swirled background in its center.

At about 7:50PM, the lighting surrounding Main Street USA and Cinderella Castle was turned off, which meant that Enchantment would be beginning shortly. In addition, Cinderella Castle's lighting changed into a dark blue pattern, save for the center crest, which had a light blue background with a dark blue 50 in the center.

At 8:00PM, the mood for the show was set, with an initial set of fireworks going off while an instrumental version of "When You Wish Upon a Star” played.

As per usual with Disney fireworks shows, the fireworks did not cease to impress! After that point, Enchantment then went to the sequence where "You Are the Magic" by Philip Lawrence and Kayla Alvarez played. It was catchy and upbeat, with a pop-like sound with lyrics evocative of various Disney features. Of course, the fireworks continued to dazzle as "You Are the Magic" then gave way to an instrumental of "The Second Star to the Right" from "Peter Pan" played.

One thing I noticed was that unlike Happily Ever After, there were stylized shots of various Disney animations versus clips, which felt like a different take on Happily Ever After.

As pictured above, Cinderella Castle's projections then changed to shades of blue, purple, and green on the castle itself with the 50 crest being lit in green. The song then changed to "We Know The Way" from "Moana," synced to clips from "Zootopia" and "Raya and the Last Dragon."

After clips synced to "We Know The Way" played, a projection of Joe Gardener from "Soul" played a tune on the piano leading into other famous Disney tunes, including "Be Our Guest," "Under the Sea," "You've Got a Friend In Me," "A Whole New World," and "You Can Fly" played synced to clips from many different Disney productions. Depicted below is Cinderella Castle projected with pink and blue, with the pattern broken up with a stylized animation of Cogsworth in the center and Lumiere on the turret to the right of the castle's center.

Next, the projections and lighting of the castle went darker, as clips depicting various conflicts between Disney characters good and evil played while synced to rock versions of "Into the Unknown" from "Frozen II" and "Night on Bald Mountain" from "Fantasia." This was definitely the stand out part of the show for me, as I loved the rock take on these two songs and the tension that the scenes synced to the music added. However, the tone became triumphant once again, as the music then changed to a reprise of "I Am Moana" synced to triumphant scenes from various Disney productions, such as when The Fairy Godmother grants Cinderella's wish of being able to go to the ball.

And finally, as in keeping with its predecessors Wishes and Happily Ever After, Tinker Bell flew over the Magic Kingdom to end the show on a magical note! Although I enjoyed Enchantment, I definitely felt it was not in the same league as its predecessors, especially Happily Ever After. Although the projections and fireworks were impressive, I felt that the story fell flat, as unlike Happily Ever After, there was not as much of a narrative of the character's journeys as well as how they were influenced. Also, while it seemed like Enchantment was more focused on the pageantry, having less of a story caused it to deliver less of an emotional gut punch than Happily Ever After. In addition, unlike the former, I also felt that there was more of a focus on more of Disney's more recent features, while Happily Ever After had a mix of old and new. Although it was enjoyable, I don't think I would go out of my way to see Enchantment the same way I would go out of my way to see say Happily Ever After or Wishes. By the time Enchantment ended, it was about 8:15PM. I still had a little time before my ADR at Chef Mickey's and since crowds were at their highest to leave the Magic Kingdom, I took advantage of this time to do a little souvenir shopping.

My first stop was The Emporium, as I find it to be an enjoyable shopping experience and in the Magic Kingdom, they tend to have the best collection of different types of souvenirs.

Inside, the store was busy and being that it was close to the Holiday Season, there were many pieces of holiday themed merchandise on display.

While I was there, I called my Mother and later FaceTimed her, as I was trying to determine what I should buy her? My first stop was to look at the plushes, as she tends to like those. As I was looking, I was then assisted Kali from Boca Raton, a young and bubbly CM. We hit it off right away, as we conversed about South Florida, since she used to live in Boca, one town south of where I live. We had fun reminiscing and as that was happening, she also proved to be extremely patient, as while I had my Mother on FaceTime, Kali showed her all of the Mickey and Minnie plushes she had, as those are the ones that my Mother likes the best. Although they were very nice, none of them struck my Mother's fancy, so I ended up not buying anything. Thankful for Kali's help and not wanting to buy anything at that moment, I left The Emporium and offered to call my Mother later, who in turn wished me a wonderful time at Chef Mickey's and told me to say hi to everyone there for her. Since the time was a little past 9:00PM, I took advantage of the now thinning crowds to exit the Magic Kingdom and make my way to Disney's Contemporary Resort. After a magical day back at the Magic Kingdom, I was looking forward to ending my night on another magical note! Once I left the park, I then turned left, following the signage leading to the walkway that connects the Magic Kingdom to the Contemporary.

What would the end of my evening be like? Find out soon!

disneywlf · Feb 6, 2025

A Magical Dinner with Mickey!
After having a wonderful day at the Magic Kingdom for the first time in over three years, I was on my way to Disney's Contemporary Resort for my 9:30PM ADR at Chef Mickey's! :mickeyjum

As I walked along the pathway connecting the Magic Kingdom to Disney's Contemporary Resort, it was a beautiful night, with temperatures in the high 60s and clear skies. Ten minutes after I began my walk, I had arrived at Disney's Contemporary Resort and made my way upstairs to the fourth floor. Once I was upstairs, I did not wait long, as I only had a five minute wait thanks to Chef Mickey's not being crowded. Once there, I was checked in by Hannah and Alfredo, who provided warm welcome! They inquired as to whether I had been to Chef Mickey's before and I told them I had been many times, although pre-COVID-19. They explained that unlike in the past, the dining format was now family style, as opposed to buffet style (this came back in early 2023) and that you would still meet characters, although from a distance (until early 2022, when non-distanced character meet and greets returned). Excited, Hannah escorted me to my table and as we made our way there, I caught a glimpse of a creative display of specialty beverages.

As me and Hannah were making small talk, she also confirmed my food allergies to eggs and wheat and made sure to get Chef Mark in addition to my waitress Jessica from South Carolina, after she sat me at a booth towards the front of the restaurant.

I had not met Chef Mark before, however, I knew that I would be in excellent hands based on my past experiences at Chef Mickey's. In addition, my timing was perfect as the characters were making their rounds. Once seated, Jessica came to my table a minute later. She had a warm and bubbly demeanor, making for an excellent first impression. She took my drink order for a Diet Coke and since she could see that I was dining alone, also offered to take photos of me with the characters when she was able to, which was appreciated!

Next, Chef Mark came by and he proved to be excellent, as he was kind and extremely knowledgeable about my food allergies and the menu at large, putting me at ease straight away. As I had mentioned, Chef Mickey's was operating in a family style format, so Chef Mark explained that my meal would start off with a salad course that consisted of a couple of small salads, followed by a platter of proteins and side dishes, and of course, he would have a special allergy friendly surprise for dessert. He said that since I could eat most of the items served, he would not have to make too many modifications. In addition, Chef Mark said that should I wish to have more of any course, he would be happy to take care of me! Without further adieu, the good times began!

As I was waiting for the characters and for my first course, I then met a middle aged couple from South Carolina who sitting at the booth near mine, who were fun loving and having a wonderful time at WDW as empty nesters. Although they would have loved to have gone with their children, they were not able to go, so they decided to go to WDW by themselves and even without their children, they were still having a magical time. In addition, they offered to take pictures of me with "The Fab Five" and I offered to do the same in return. A few minutes later, I received my two salads, which were neatly presented in two small bowls. One salad consisted of mixed greens with tomatoes and shrimp with a vinaigrette-based dressing, while the other salad had mixed greens, squash, and crisped chickpeas with a sweetened version of a vinaigrette-based dressing. Overall, these salads made for an excellent start to my meal, as the salad with shrimp had crisp and leafy greens, sweet and pleasantly acidic tomatoes, and sweet and savory shrimp. However, my favorite of the two salads had to be the squash salad, which had a nice hint of sweetness thanks to its sweet squash, crunchy and slightly salty crisped chickpeas, and tangy vinaigrette-based dressing.

As I was tucking into my first plate, Pluto was the first character that I saw.

Although we could not hug each other due to social distancing, Pluto is such a good and energetic dog and of course, I was grateful to be in his company pluto:

Then, I met the Big Cheese himself, which is always an honor! ::MickeyMo

He was shortly followed by Minnie, who warmed my heart! ::MinnieMo

Soon enough, my main course arrived and boy oh boy, talk about a feast!

The plate of proteins and veggies consisted of Salmon with a Mustard Glaze, Turkey, Flank Steak with an Onion Jam, and Seasonal Veggies including carrots, green beans, and succotash. The potato was artfully presented in a small cast iron skillet and the slices were prepared scallop style, with cheese and to top them off, a silhouette of Mickey's head made of cheese. Also, I received a plate of what looked like fried rice, albeit sans eggs. Overall, the food tasted as good as it looked, as I found the salmon to be flakey, with a mild taste that went well with the tangy mustard-based sauce. Although simple, I also loved the turkey, which although simple, was moist and tender. The Flank Steak was another surprise, as in addition to being tender, the sweet and smokey onion jam cut the heft of the beef. I also loved the savory and well cooked veggies. In addition, I also loved the potatoes, which although a bit heavier than expected, were earthy and plenty cheesy, reminding me of another take on Chef Mickey's infamous Parmesan Mashed Potatoes. Lastly, I also enjoyed the fried rice, which was fluffy and had veggies mixed in as well as soy sauce, which lent savory and salty notes to the dish.

Next up, Goofy came to visit and boy oh boy, he was loveable as always and full of energy! :goofy:

Although my dinner was fabulous, there was no way I was going to finish it! Luckily, Taib from Morocco aka "Toby" stepped in, since Jessica, my waitress was tending to another table. He offered to box up all of the components for me, so I would be able to have them for later. In addition, as we conversed, Taib noticed my Star of David necklace that I wear, complimenting me and telling me of Morocco's large Jewish population, which was definitely incredible! He even said that Jews were in high levels of government in Morocco, which is rare for an Arab country. Additionally, I told him that I wanted to visit Morocco, as I had heard it was a beautiful and welcoming country. He said I would love it and that all areas of the country were beautiful, but that Casablanca, although beautiful, was a bit touristy. I mentioned that although I had not been to Morocco, I had been to Israel and although Taib had not been there, heard it was a beautiful country and wanted to visit himself. Just after I was done conversing with Taib, the #1 Duck himself came by to quack me up! :donald:

Although I had already had the pleasure of seeing the characters once, they all stopped by once again, which was definitely a nice touch! In addition, to end my meal on a sweet note, Jessica delivered a box of allergy friendly pastries from Erin McKenna NYC Bakery, which has an outpost in Disney Springs and has worked with various WDW restaurants for years to provide guests with allergies to gluten, eggs, dairy, and more with sweet options

. This worked out perfectly, since I was stuffed! Since my evening was complete, I thanked Jessica and her team for a wonderful meal and wished them a good night! While the format was altered thanks to COVID-19, Chef Mickey's did not disappoint as the character interaction was amazing, the service was friendly and accommodating, and the food was delicious! By the time I left Chef Mickey's, it was close to 11:00PM, so I decided to make my way back to my hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn on Palm Parkway not far from WDW property. As I went downstairs to the Ride Share Pickup area, I took in the scenery of the Contemporary's lobby, which speaks to me as I love its take on a mid-century style, which is fitting since the Contemporary opened in 1971. In addition, this stylized rendering in the background also caught my eye.

If that wasn't enough, I also loved the chandeliers which were reminiscent of the ones that my late grandparents had in their former condo in South Florida, which is also fitting since their condo dated back to 1981.

A few minutes later, I reached the Ride Share Pick Up Area. I checked both the Lyft and Uber apps to see which was cheaper and since Lyft was cheaper, I opted for a Lyft to my hotel. I had to wait ten minutes, but while I was waiting, my night ended on a magical note as I could see the end of the fireworks from Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!

A few minutes after the fireworks, my Lyft arrived. I was beginning to get tired, as it had been a fun-filled day, but my ride back to the hotel went quickly as we took World Drive southbound, Buena Vista Drive eastbound, and Hotel Plaza Drive eastbound until we reached FL-535. From there, we then followed the road until we reached Palm Parkway and about fifteen minutes later, I arrived back at the Hilton Garden Inn. When I got back, I stopped at the Front Desk, as I had left my belongings there earlier that morning since my room was not ready. With my belongings in tow, I then took the elevator up to the top floor, where I would then go to Room 718, my home away from home for the night. Once inside, I found my room to be excellent, as it was immaculate and appeared to have been recently renovated.

The room was not huge, but was well designed with plenty of spots for storage and everything I could need for a restful night. Since I was now settled in, I called my Mother and although it was Midnight, she was still up. We talked about my day and she was very happy, as she loved hearing that I had a wonderful day! She then inquired as to what I would be doing the next day, since I would be going home later that day? I told her that for the afternoon, I would be going to Disney Springs, where I would go shopping and have lunch before I would drive home to South Florida. She that sounded wonderful and hoped I would be able to find some nice souvenirs. Since she was tired, we then ended the call and bid each other good night! Before I would get ready for bed, I then decided to tuck into my goodies from Chef Mickey's, which consisted of two allergy friendly chocolate cupcakes. These were delicious, as the cupcakes were moist and fluffy, with a bold and semisweet chocolate flavor topped with creamy frosting that had notes of vanilla. If the day was not magical enough, these desserts made for a sweet ending.

In addition, I also put away a pre-signed autograph card, which was given to me at the end of my meal at Chef Mickey's, which was a thoughtful touch.

Finally feeling sleepy, I washed up and got ready for bed. At about 1:00AM, I finally went to bed, falling asleep a little bit later. It was wonderful to be back at WDW and could not wait for what the next day would hold

.

disneywlf · Feb 13, 2025

The Quest for 50th Anniversary Merch...and More at Disney Springs 11/22/2021
After a fabulous day at the Magic Kingdom the day before followed by a spectacular time at Chef Mickey's the day before, I had awakened from a restful night's sleep. Since there was no rush for me to get to a park, I was able to sleep in. In addition, since I had an evening shift at my job the day after this day, I would be able to get home later as I could sleep in the next day if need be. Needless to say, these facts caused me to take advantage of being able to sleep in, as I awakened at about 9:30AM. Feeling well rested, I awakened and got ready to take on my day. After washing up, getting dressed, and doing some last minute packing, the time was about 10:40AM. I took in the view from my window, where looking to the east, I could see two other hotels in the complex, including the Residence Inn by Marriott and the Homewood Suites by Hilton and further in the distance, I could see the Premium Outlets. Although it was warm out, skies were overcast at this time, which would still be fine for walking around Disney Springs and shopping.

As I took in the view, I played around with the zoom function on my iPhone's camera and was even able to see where I parked my car.

Since I overslept, I had missed breakfast. However, I was not worried, as I would be able to enjoy my leftovers from Chef Mickey's, which included turkey, flank steak, mixed veggies, and fried rice. These items made for a delicious early lunch and ensured that I would be full for quite some time. With everything packed, I was ready to check out, so I gathered my belongings and made my way down to the Front Desk to check out at 12:00PM. Once at the Front Desk, Jeff, the same Front Desk Agent who checked me in, took care of my folio and asked me how my stay was? I told him it was excellent, as I felt that the room was clean and comfortable and the service was excellent! He was pleased to hear this and he thanked me for staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. Now checked out, we bid each other farewell and I made my way to my car, ready to head to Disney Springs. I turned left from the Hilton Garden Inn complex onto Palm Parkway, as I would take Palm Parkway west past more hotels, shopping centers, and residential complexes until I reached FL-535. At FL-535, I turned left to head southbound to Hotel Plaza Boulevard, where I would enter WDW property. Once I reached Hotel Plaza Boulevard, I followed it westbound, passing the various hotels lining the road that encompassed the Disney Springs Resorts Area until I hit Buena Vista Drive. Once I reached Buena Vista Drive, I followed it westbound until I arrived at the Lime Garage about ten minutes after I left the Hilton Garden Inn. Once I got there, I found that there were plenty of spaces available. The parking situation was organized, as there were a few CMs directing traffic and thanks to their help, I ended up parking on L4, Row 6. After that, I then took the elevator downstairs to security, which had instructions on which masks were permissible on the barricade.

I did not wait long at security and the kind and thorough Security CMs had me through in no time!

By the time I had arrived at Disney Springs, the sun had peeked out a little bit, although it was still mostly overcast.

All in all, I enjoy the atmosphere at Disney Springs, as the theming makes it feel like you are in a small, old-time town in Florida.

As I was taking in the scenery at Disney Springs, I was stopped in my tracks at the AdventHealth Waterside Stage, as an elementary school-aged vocal group was performing covers of Beatles songs, which caught my ears as The Beatles are one of my favorite bands. They did a very good job and performed "Help," "Come Together," and "A Hard Days Night." If that was enough, another vocal group affiliated with the first vocal group did a catchy cover of "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls.

Once the vocal groups were done performing, the time was just past 1:00PM, so I decided to continue checking out Disney Springs. Naturally, my first stop was World of Disney, thanks to its fun atmosphere and comprehensive selection, basically making it a one stop shop for many Disney souvenirs.

Since my Mother's birthday would be four days from this day, my first stop was to look at the jewelry, which was right by where I entered. While near the jewelry, I FaceTimed my Mother, so she would be able to help me buy a gift for her birthday, which was coming up in a few days. As I was looking, I was assisted by Lex from Pennsylvania, who could not have been nicer and more patient. Lex was terrific, as she was knowledgeable about what she was selling and so my Mother would be able to get a better idea of what I would be buying, showing the pieces from all different angles. However, despite Lex's best efforts, this jewelry was not what my Mother wanted. Not wanting to give up too easily, Lexi low-key suggested Pandora, which was a suggestion my Mother agreed to! Thanks to Lex's advice, I decided to head to Pandora and once there, I was assisted by Kayla, another wonderful employee. She was a sweetheart and just like Lex, was super patient as I FaceTimed my Mother once again. We went through various charms and a Maleficent charm caught her eye, so I purchased it and thanks to opening a Pandora credit card, I even got a small discount! Since my mission of getting my Mother's birthday gift was complete, I then continued to explore Disney Springs. By the time I was done in Pandora, the sun was out and it was warm, making a beautiful day even more beautiful! Since I was not in too much of a rush, I stopped in front of this pond, which faced D-Luxe Burger and Planet Hollywood.

I relaxed for a few minutes, taking in the warm temperatures and sunshine

.

Wanting to check out the WDW 50th Anniversary merchandise, I then made my way back towards World of Disney.

Once I arrived back at World of Disney, I made my way towards the center of the store, where they had an assortment of 50th Anniversary merchandise, including t-shirts, notepads, autograph books, and more!

Wasting no time, I decided to check out the 50th Anniversary apparel and a 50th Anniversary t-shirt caught my eye, so I picked one up to buy. Because there were supply shortages thanks to COVID-19 disrupting the supply chains as well as potential resellers buying merchandise to resell, there was a 2 item limit per person on 50th Anniversary merchandise. Next, I went to the regular t-shirt section and although there were some very nice t-shirts, there was nothing that really caught my eye.

However, that changed when I was stopped in my tracks by the 2022 WDW t-shirt depicted below. Thanks to prominently featuring "The Fab Five" in their New Year's best as well as bright and festive colors, this shirt was another item that I decided to purchase.

With two t-shirts in tow, I then made my way to a nearby set of registers. Thanks to the line being lengthy, a helpful female CM directed me to try mobile checkout. Although I generally prefer checking out with a person, I accepted her offer, as I figured it would save time. However, we both learned that for some reason, mobile checkout would not apply the Disney Visa discount, as I wanted to pay with my Disney Visa. The CM was very kind and felt bad about her error, but it was an honest mistake on her part. However, she made it right by taking me to a bank of registers on the opposite side of the store, where I was assisted by an older female CM from Hong Kong. The CM who took care of my purchases was a sweetheart and upon conversing with her, she had told me that she had been in the U.S. for 25-years and for a long time, worked for Disney as she loves the company and taking care of guests. This CM was absolutely a pleasure and I could see how passionate she was about her job. Unfortunately, her POS system gave her trouble and she had to call over her Coordinator, Javier to sort everything out. Thankfully, a few minutes later, all was well again and I had my purchases. I bid the CM who took care of me a fond farewell and I was on my way, ready to check out more of Disney Springs. By the time I left World of Disney, it was around 3:45PM and I was starting to feel hungry, so I decided to grab a bite. With a lot of good options, it was a tough decision, however, the prospect of gluten-free fish and chips, a treat I rarely get to enjoy due to my allergies to all grains except for corn and rice as well as eggs, was calling my name. I took a short walk over to Cookes of Dublin, the quick service arm of Raglan Road (I have not tried it yet but one day, I may.) which specializes in fish and chips.

Once inside, I received a warm and welcoming greeting from Nancy and Sophie, who were working at the counter. Immediately, I asked them about the gluten-free batter for the fish and chips. Wasting no time, Nancy brought over the binder with the ingredients and to my delight, the gluten-free batter was indeed free of the allergens I cannot consume. Delighted, I went ahead and ordered Fish and Chips along with a Diet Coke to drink. Once my order was placed, Sophie issued me a placard for my table and invited me to sit anywhere I would like. Although I wanted to sit outside on account of the beautiful weather, all of the outside seats were occupied, but I found a cozy booth on the side of the restaurant. I relaxed for a little bit and about 15-minutes later, I received my Fish and Chips. The Gluten Free Fish and Chips proved to be outstanding, as the large portion of flaky cod was enrobed by a perfectly fried thin, crispy, and pleasantly crunchy batter. In addition, the chips that accompanied the fish were wide, with a slightly crunchy outside and a fluffy and earthy inside.

Once I was done with my late lunch, I then made one more stop. I decided to stop at Erin McKenna's Bakery NYC for some both gluten-free and egg-free baked goods, which are not always easy to come by in the real world.

With all of the different baked-goods available, my decision was tough. Ultimately, I was assisted by an enthusiastic female employee, who was happy to recommend a Chocolate and a Vanilla Cupcake, a Vanilla Glazed Donut, and a Pineapple Upside Down Cake, which was calling my name thanks to a large candied pineapple ring on top. While I did not plan on eating all of the goodies immediately or even all of them on the same night, I was excited to try them, as I had fond memories of them in the past, as they tasted delicious and made it possible for me to have foods that I usually cannot eat due to egg and wheat allergies. After an excellent experience shopping at Erin McKenna's NYC, I was craving an ice cream, so I made Ghirardelli my final stop at Disney Springs.

Thanks to Ghirardelli's popularity, the line was immense, but thankfully, it moved quickly. Michelle and Jason, the CMs who helped me, were friendly and efficient. Thanks to past experience as well as wanting to keep it simple, yet indulgent, I ordered small version of a Hot Fudge Sundae with Vanilla Ice Cream. Michelle gave me a placard for a table and I took a table outside. A few minutes later, a food runner delivered my order and I was in Hot Fudge Sundae heaven, as the smooth, rich, and creamy vanilla ice cream melded well with the warm, luscious, and bold in flavor hot fudge as well as the fluffy whipped cream.

Once I was done with my sundae, I then walked around Disney Springs a little bit more, taking in a gorgeous sunset, which painted the sky with shades of pink.

After that, I then made my way back towards the Lime Garage.

Five minutes later, I had arrived at the Lime Garage and once there, I then took the elevator to the fourth floor, where my car was parked. By the time I got to my car, it was 6:00PM, so I knew that if I started driving, it would be a 2.5-3 hour drive back to Delray Beach. Before I started driving, I checked the gas prices on my phone, as I was down to about 1/4 tank and thanks to the Gas Buddy app, the Mobil on FL-536 aka World Center Drive would be one of the less expensive and most convenient options, since it would be right on my route. I then hooked up my iPhone to CarPlay, putting in directions to go home and also putting on "The Ultimate Disney Roadtrip Playlist" on Spotify, to keep the good vibes going. Once I was ready to go, I then pulled out of my parking space and out of the Lime Garage, turning right to head westbound on Buena Vista Drive. After following Buena Vista Drive westbound, I got FL-536 aka World Center Drive eastbound towards Orlando International Airport and followed it off WDW property. Once off of WDW property, I reached the Mobil station at the corner of International Drive, where I filled up my tank at the cost of $3.31/gallon, a little less than average for the Orlando area.

Once I had a full tank, I got back onto FL-536 aka World Center Drive eastbound, following it to its eastern terminus where it meets FL-417 aka the Central Florida GreeneWay northbound towards Orlando International Airport, Sea World, and the Convention Center. After getting on the Central Florida GreeneWay, I followed it northbound for about nine miles until I reached Exit 12: Florida's Turnpike (FL-91)-Miami, Ocala. I followed the southbound ramp towards Miami and once on the Turnpike, it was a very quick ride as I passed through the remainder of Orange County, Osceola County, and Indian River County until I reached the Fort Drum Service Plaza less than an hour and half after I left Disney Springs. I stopped there to use the restroom and stretch my legs for about ten minutes or so. Once I was done at the Fort Drum Service Plaza, I went back to my car and the time was 7:29PM. According to my GPS, I had another 108-miles until I would reach home and about another 1.5-hours of driving time, meaning I would be home at about 9:04PM, about three hours after I left Disney Springs.

Wasting no time, I got on the Turnpike southbound once again, continuing my journey through Okeechobee County, Indian River County again, St. Lucie County, and Martin County until I reached the Martin County-Palm Beach County line about 2.5-hours after I started my drive. Once I entered Palm Beach County, my GPS then told me to leave the Turnpike, as there was some traffic that would make my drive take a little longer. It instructed me to leave the Turnpike at Exit 116: FL-706 (Indiantown Rd.) to I-95 in Jupiter. I exited the Turnpike at Exit 116, turning left to head eastbound on FL-706 (Indiantown Rd.) towards I-95, Jupiter, and its beaches. Shortly after leaving the Turnpike, I found myself entering Interstate 95 southbound towards West Palm Beach. Traffic was light, enabling me to fly down the interstate as I passed through the remainder of Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Riviera Beach, West Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Lantana, and Boynton Beach until I reached Exit 52: FL-806 (Atlantic Avenue). Once I left I-95, I turned right to head westbound on Atlantic Avenue towards the western suburbs of Delray Beach, passing the various shopping centers and residential complexes that lined the street. About five minutes after I left I-95, I arrived home, happy to see my Mother and our dogs!

It was wonderful to be back at WDW and I could not wait to be back in less than two weeks, although seeing DHS this time, which I was excited for as it would be my first time seeing Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story Land. What would happen next? Find out soon!

disneywlf · Feb 18, 2025

Lights, Camera, Action! Disney's Hollywood Studios 12/2/2021 Part 1

*Preparing for the trip:
After a magical time visiting the Magic Kingdom less than two weeks prior to my next trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios, Thursday, December 2nd, 2021 came sooner than I had expected! :eek:

In the time between my trip to the Magic Kingdom and this trip to DHS, the days between went quickly. For the most part, I was busy with work in front facing customer service at the major hotel chain where I work in Northern Palm Beach County. I even worked Thanksgiving, which my Mother was OK with since we do not have a lot of family and I would get paid extra. This even allowed me to have Friday, November 26th, 2021 off, which was perfect as I would be able to celebrate my Mother's birthday. For my Mother's birthday, we had a wonderful day, as we visited our local mall, Town Center at Boca Raton and had sushi from our favorite restaurant, as that is one of my Mother's favorite foods. In addition, two days after my Mother's birthday, Hanukkah started on the evening of Sunday, November 28th, 2021 and this was significant, since I am Jewish. The days after my Thanksgiving and my Mother's birthday flew and soon enough, Wednesday, December 1st, 2021 had arrived! Thanks to the fact that I had worked on Thanksgiving, my workplace gave me a paid day off the day before my trip on Wednesday, December 1st, 2021. This worked out well, since I would be able to spend some time with my Mother and our dogs. In addition, I had less pressure to get my packing done, which was not much since I would only be going to WDW for one night. During the day, I packed for my trip and after that, we did errands. That evening, I remember I also made latkes, or potato pancakes, as I would have time to prepare them and it was a delicious way to take part in Hanukkah! After dinner, I wound down for the night, getting ready for bed. Before I would go to bed however, I checked my reservation at the Homewood Suites on Palm Parkway, not too far off of Disney property. I would have stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, located in the same complex once again, but a discounted employee rate was unavailable, so I booked at the Homewood Suites, which also got excellent reviews.

Although I would have loved to have stayed on a higher floor, thanks to the hotel being sold out, a room on the third floor was all that was available for online check in, so I went ahead and selected Room 319.

Once I was checked in, I set my alarm and I then fell asleep, not waking up again until 2:30AM the next morning.

Day of Trip:
My sleep went quicker than expected and at 2:30AM, my iPhone's alarm went off! Unlike the day I woke up to go to the Magic Kingdom, I was awake, so I got up right on time, as I was hoping to hit the road by 4:30AM to be in the Orlando area by 7:30AM (it is about a 2.5-3 hour drive from my home to WDW), enabling me to stop at the Homewood Suites and drop off my luggage before ridesharing to DHS, hopefully, to be there right at opening, if not a little before. I was excited to be returning to DHS, as up until this trip, I had not been there for just under eight years, having last visiting it in January 2014. The reason I did not visit on my last multiday trip in January 2016 as well as March 2018 was because at that time, there was a lot of construction going on thanks to the additions of Toy Story Land and Galaxy's Edge, meaning that there would be less to see than the other parks. Had time allowed, I would have gone to DHS otherwise. Nevertheless, I was excited to be going back to DHS, as I wanted to see the new additions. I would be excited to see Toy Story Land as I love the "Toy Story" films. Although I am not super into "Star Wars," Galaxy's Edge excited me as the theming, based on the photos I had seen, looked incredible! Awake and excited, I got ready in the usual way, ate a small snack (I would later take advantage of the Homewood's Complimentary Hot Breakfast), and put my suitcase and day bag into my car. Before I left, my Mother hugged me goodbye and wished me a wonderful time! Now ready to go and on time to boot at 4:30AM, I got into my car, connecting my iPhone to Apple CarPlay so I could enable navigation for my trip as well as Spotify, with "The Ultimate Disney Roadtrip Playlist," which features a robust collection of songs from various Disney features to set the mood for my trip once again. I pulled out of our driveway, making my way to Atlantic Avenue (FL-806) to head towards the Florida's Turnpike. About three miles after I turned onto Atlantic Avenue, I then entered the Florida's Turnpike (FL-91) northbound towards Orlando. I wasted no time driving and aided by the fact that traffic was very light, I breezed through the rest of Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, and Jupiter in Palm Beach County and then through Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Okeechobee Counties. At about 5:50AM, I stopped at the Fort Drum Service Plaza, where I stopped to use the restroom and stretch my legs for a bit. A few minutes later at 6:03AM, with 76-miles of driving left and 1:07 of driving left, which would lead to an ETA of 7:11AM, I would begin my drive once again.

Once I began driving, the driving conditions continued to be optimal, enabling me to fly through the remainder of Okeechobee County, Indian River County once again, and Osceola County. At around 7:00AM, I was nearing Orange County and just a little bit later, I had reached my exit, Exit 251: FL-417 (Central Florida GreeneWay)-Tampa, Daytona Beach, Orlando International Airport. My GPS first instructed me to stay in the right two lanes to head onto the Central Florida GreeneWay (FL-417) northbound towards Orlando International Airport and Sanford. The ramp would then fork, so I was then instructed to use the left fork to merge onto the Central Florida Greeneway (FL-417) southbound towards Tampa. I continued on the Greeneway for about the next four miles, passing through the Hunters Creek area of Orlando with its many communities and shopping centers until I reached Exit 6: International Drive to FL-536/FL-535/I-4 east to Epcot, Disney Springs. I then followed the ramp to turn right to head north on International Drive, now seeing large hotels and other buildings in the distance, meaning I was getting that much closer to the magic! With my drive coming close to an end, I followed International Drive northbound to Daryl Carter Parkway and turned left, driving one mile past the back of the Regency Village shopping center on the eastbound side of Daryl Carter Parkway. After passing over Interstate 4 and seeing the towering and grand Hilton Grand Vacations Club Parc Soleil Orlando close ahead, I then reached the intersection of Daryl Carter Parkway and Palm Parkway. At this intersection, I then made a left to head southbound on Palm Parkway, with less than a half mile to go! I could not believe I was that much closer to WDW and with that excitement building up, I was finally turning left into the complex where the Homewood Suites is located, which is shared by a few other hotels, including the Hilton Garden Inn where I stayed less than two weeks prior. At 7:24AM, my drive was complete and I was parking at the Homewood Suites. I knew I would make it to DHS by opening, as I had a little over 1.5-hours until it would open.

I then walked to the front of the Homewood Suites by Hilton, which looked somewhat similar in appearance to the Hilton Garden Inn, but slightly different thanks to stonework on the lower halves of the beams holding up the port cochere, which made it slightly more rustic looking than the Hilton Garden Inn.

Once inside, I took in the Homewood's lobby, which was a bit plain compared to the Hilton Garden Inn's lobby, which was larger. However, it was still very nice thanks to a fireplace, which added a touch of coziness.

Shirley greeted me at the Front Desk. She was warm and efficient, having me checked in in no time. Since my room would not be ready until later, which was not an issue since I would be heading to the park, she kindly offered to store my suitcase, which was an offer I accepted! Now checked in, I would be able to get on with my day. Since I would have time until I needed to get an Uber or Lyft to DHS, I took advantage of the Homewood's complimentary breakfast, which I was familiar with since guests from the Hilton Garden Inn can also eat there with a purchased breakfast ticket. On my way to the adjacent Dining Room, I got a photo of this poster for Galaxy's Edge, which got me excited!

Although it was crowded, I was able to get breakfast in the form of tender and juicy sausage patties, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and salty breakfast potatoes, and sweet and tangy orange juice. Unlike the last time I had breakfast, the grits were better, as they were not soupy in texture and had a slightly salty flavor that was on point. As I was eating breakfast, I went ahead and looked for Lightning Lanes (LL) on Genie+, so I could many attractions in. Unfortunately, I was unable to get an Individual Lightning Lane for Rise of the Resistance, so I knew I would have to line up the old fashioned way. Thankfully, I was able to get LLs for Slinky Dog Dash from 5:25PM-6:25PM as well as Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway after that.

After breakfast, I then checked both the Lyft and Uber apps to see which one was cheaper. Lyft won thanks to a lower price, so at 8:22AM, I requested a Lyft to DHS.

Ten minutes later, Daniel, my Lyft driver, showed in up in a silver, late model Ford Explorer. He was very polite and invited me to sit in the passenger side captain's chair behind the passenger front seat. We wasted no time and soon enough, we turned back on Palm Parkway, where we then passed more hotels, multiple shopping centers, and residential developments until we reached the intersection of Apopka-Vineland Road about a couple of miles later.

At this intersection, Apopka-Vineland Road then runs south as FL-535, where it ends at US-192 in Kissimmee. We followed FL-535 to the interchange of Interstate 4. Once at I-4, we took the westbound ramp towards Tampa. We followed I-4 westbound and got off at Exit 67: Epcot, Disney Springs.

We then followed FL-536 aka World Center Drive westbound towards Epcot, Typhoon Lagoon.

A few minutes later, we passed through “the gates of heaven” aka Walt Disney World Welcome sign and the road became Epcot Center Drive.

As we followed the roads to DHS, I loved seeing The Skyliner, which was a first for me since it opened in 2019 and I was not at WDW in 2019 and 2020.

By about 8:45AM, Daniel had dropped me off at the Rideshare Drop Off for DHS. Thankful for an excellent ride, I hotfooted it towards the entrance, but not without getting a photo of this Disney Bus, which was decorated in a WDW 50th Anniversary Motif, featuring Mickey and Minnie in their 50th Anniversary best!

Even right before opening, DHS was beginning to get crowded, so I was thankful that I was able to rope drop.

My prediction was right and the entrance to DHS was indeed crowded! However, I also noticed beautiful garland draped over the turnstiles.

Despite the crowds, I must say that security was organized and the CMs were as nice as ever and very thorough! Just a few minutes before opening, I found myself taking in The Crossroads of the World, with buildings styled in a Mission style evocative of old-time Hollywood. I was excited to be back at Disney's Hollywood Studios, as in addition to the new experiences such as Toy Story Land and Galaxy's Edge, I would get to see some old favorites, like the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and many more!

Where would I go next? Find out soon!

disneywlf · Mar 11, 2025

Lights, Camera, Action! Disney's Hollywood Studios 12/2/2021 Part 2
After a smooth start to my morning thanks to waking up on time as well as getting to DHS right before park opening, I was on my way to an amazing day at DHS!

After clearing security and ticketing, I had entered DHS, first taking in the Crossroads of the World and in the background, the Mediterranean styled architecture common in 1930s Los Angeles, in keeping with DHS's theme.

And looking to the right is Oscar's Service Station, which is built in an art-deco style, another homage to 1930s-1950s Los Angeles.

While the newer lands in DHS like Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story Land seem to be getting a lot of the attention these days, I have to admit that Hollywood Boulevard is underrated, thanks to how well it captures the theming of 1930s-1950s Tinseltown.

A few minutes after I entered the park, I was at the point where Hollywood Boulevard meets Sunset Boulevard and in the distance, I could see the Hollywood Brown Derby and Grauman's Chinese Theater.

I turned right on Sunset Boulevard, as my goal was to ride The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, one of my favorite attractions. Just like Hollywood Boulevard, the theming of Sunset Boulevard did not cease to impress!

As I was heading over to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, I knew I had to take a picture in front of it. Lucky for me, a Photopass CM by the name of Krysten took some excellent photos. She was enthusiastic and very patient, making for a fun photo session.

After a fun photo session with Krysten, I was very close to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

Once I reached the Stand-By Entrance at about 9:25AM, the posted wait was a relatively short 30-minutes. For about the first fifteen minutes I was in line, the line moved relatively quickly. As I was waiting, I had the pleasure of taking in an abundance of trees and other foliage, which lent an overgrown and abandoned vibe to the attraction.

However, my wait time increased as due to staffing shortages, only half of the The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror's elevators were operating. I was not fussed, as it gave me some time to take in the eerie vibes of the attraction.

The hotel's lobby, with its period furniture festooned with cobwebs definitely set the mood for this haunted attraction.

About 45-minutes after I lined up for the The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, I boarded the elevator and I recall sitting on the left side of the elevator in the rear. I was exhilarated after riding this ride due to the excellent special effects of a 1930s hotel and the four drops we made! After being exhilarated by The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, I checked out their gift shop briefly, but nothing caught my eye. With the time being just after 10:00AM, I decided to make my way towards Galaxy's Edge in hopes of at least riding Rise of the Resistance. Would I make it to a galaxy far, far away? Find out soon!

disneywlf · Mar 17, 2025

Lights, Camera, Action! Disney's Hollywood Studios 12/2/2021 Part 3
After being scared silly yet exhilarated riding The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, the time was just after 10:00AM. With Rise of the Resistance being a hot attraction and not having experienced Galaxy's Edge, this would be the next part of DHS where I would go. Once I left The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, the weather remained beautiful, with sunny skies and temperatures that continued to warm. After leaving, I passed Rock 'N Roller Coaster. Although this a fun attraction, it is not for me as I just don't like upside down roller coasters. I rode it once on my first WDW trip back in January 2005 when I was 12 at the time. It was a lot of fun and although it made me enjoy more intense coasters that did not go upside down, it made my back hurt a little bit. Nevertheless, if you are into upside down coasters, it is a lot of fun!

I then headed back to the center of the park via Sunset Boulevard.

Once at the center of the park, I then admired these three retro-looking dolls, who were donning peppermint colored dresses and peppermint colored umbrellas, which was a wonderful touch for the Holiday Season!

And of course, there's The Hollywood Brown Derby, which looks almost like the one in Hollywood.

I then passed The Grauman's Chinese Theater, which used to house The Great Movie Ride but is now home to Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway.

As I went towards the opposite side of the park, I then passed the Hyperion Theater, home to the Frozen Sing Along Celebration.

I then passed Echo Lake, where I spotted this beautiful Christmas tree as well as Dinosaur Gertie in the distance.

As I was passing Echo Lake, I had the pleasure of meeting Dennis from Jersey City, NJ, a custodial CM who was making a Mickey head with water on the sidewalk as he was cleaning. I admired his work and his charismatic and bubbly personality won me over right away. We chatted for a bit and he asked me about my day. I told him that I had the pleasure of riding the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and was on my way to Galaxy's Edge for the first time. He told me he loves the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror too and that since I had not seen Galaxy's Edge before, I would be in for a treat!

I thanked him for his time and then parted ways, as I wanted to do my best to get to Rise of the Resistance. Thankful for his amazing interaction as well as with Krysten, the Photopass CM I met earlier by the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and other amazing CMs I have met reinforced the "Disney Difference," which may explain why I keep returning to WDW? :scratchin

After passing through the center of DHS, I then found myself in the Grand Avenue section of the park, home to Muppet Vision 3-D. This area used to also encompass the former Streets of America section of DHS, so it was no surprised the buildings, with touches like the brickwork and the fire escapes on the front made them look very much like New York City, where I used to live near.

Of course, seeing Miss Piggy as Lady Liberty with her very own fountain was splendid!

And although it's not the best foodwise from what I have heard, PizzeRizzo has great theming and is a nice homage to Rizzo the Rat.

I continued passing through the Grand Avenue section of the park making my way to Galaxy's Edge.

And soon enough, I would be entering "a galaxy far, far away."

I knew the theming would be incredible, as even under the bridge where I was walking, I could see the attention to detail in the rockwork.

Once I entered Galaxy's Edge, my jaw dropped! While I never followed "Star Wars" closely, the rockwork, which was differing shades of brown made you feel as if you were on another planet.

If that was not enough, even the attention to detail on smaller items, like the weathering on the trash cans, was incredible!

I continued to meander through Galaxy's Edge, feeling like a kid in a candy store taking in all of the details.

Would I make it to Rise of the Resistance? Find out soon!

disneywlf · Mar 18, 2025

Lights, Camera, Action! Disney's Hollywood Studios 12/2/2021 Part 4
I continued making my way towards Rise of the Resistance, continuing to have my jaw dropped by the theming of Galaxy's Edge. In the distance, I could see what appeared to be rock spires.

Unfortunately, I found out Rise of the Resistance was down due to technical issues, which at this time, was not uncommon as it employed some newer technologies not previously used on other Disney attractions. Not one to make lemons out of lemonade, I continued to be amazed by Galaxy's Edge and decided to instead check out "Star Wars Millennium Falcon": Smugglers Run. The plants and all of the theming around continued to impress!

If that was not enough, I then entered what appeared to be a trading port or bazaar.

Like I said, I never really followed Star Wars, so please forgive me for being unfamiliar with the names or locations in the lore. However, when I entered this part of Galaxy's Edge, the theming continued to floor me, as the many meandering paths, brick work on the ground, and the hanging light fixtures did an excellent job at making you feel transported to the "Star Wars" universe!

In true bazaar fashion, many shops lined the many meandering paths.

One of the shops lining the paths had many different plush "Star Wars" creatures for sale, including Porgs, made popular by one of the recent Star Wars installments.

This frog-like creature was also amazing!

What would Galaxy's Edge be without Chewbacca plushies?

And of course, there were more nooks and crannies to take in, including what appeared to be some sort of boiler?

On my way out of the trading port/bazaar portion of Galaxy's Edge, I then passed Ronto Roasters, one of the quick service restaurants in the land that serves roasted pork wraps and sausages. The machine in the center, which looked almost like a giant spit, tied in well to the restaurant's theme.

After exiting the trading port or bazaar, I then found myself not far from the Millennium Falcon as well as more mountains.

And looking back to the trading port/bazaar.

There was so much to take in that I felt lost, albeit in a good way. I could not wait to check out more of Galaxy's Edge! :jumping3:

disneywlf · Mar 18, 2025

Lights, Camera, Action! Disney's Hollywood Studios 12/2/2021 Part 5
I had a phenomenal time getting lost in Galaxy's Edge!

However, I wanted to check out the attractions and with Rise of the Resistance down at the point in time, I decided to check out "Star Wars Millennium Falcon": Smugglers Run. Lucky for me, there was very little wait and even better, the option of a Single Ride Line was available, so I ended up taking advantage of it since I was flying solo haha!

Even just entering the queue, the level of detail amazed and whet my appetite for experiencing the attraction!

Soon enough, I was in the main waiting area for "Star Wars Millennium Falcon": Smugglers Run.

Thanks to the Single Rider Line, I was on the ride in less than five minutes! Although this ride may be a simulator ride similar to others at WDW, I truly enjoyed it. I loved piloting the Millennium Falcon, fighting enemies and obstacles through the galaxy. Although it seems Rise of the Resistance gets most of the attention at Galaxy's Edge, I definitely loved Smugglers Run and would gladly ride it again!

After riding Smugglers Run, I found out that Rise of the Resistance was operating once again, so I beelined over to it. When I arrived, I could see that the standby wait would be two hours, which did not surprise me due to this attraction's popularity. Although I got Lightning Lanes for other attractions, like Slinky Dog in Toy Story Land as well as Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, I was unable to get an Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) for Rise of the Resistance, so I had no choice but to wait. With that in mind, I decided to get in line, especially because I was not really in a rush.

The wait was true to the signage, but the queue was impressive thanks to all of the rockwork, plantings, and even waterfalls, truly making you feel like you were in the "Star Wars" universe.

Once inside the queue, the detail increased and I knew we were getting closer to riding Rise of the Resistance.

Although I had waited close to two hours, I was getting close to the thrill that would await!

A Whole New Post COVID World (Nov. 2021 and Dec. 2021 TRs) UPDATE x2 3/31/2025

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

Share this page